Artificial Engagement
by Akatsuki Child
Summary: It was either become a hobo or marry the guy's daughter. He wished he had chosen to become a hobo. "For some reason, I always find myself fantasizing about strangling him to death." Percabeth with mentions of Thuke. AU. OOC.
1. Percy Has Many Problems

**HUGE THANKS TO Stolen Silent Stars and Clara Fonteyn for betaing my chapters! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own PJO!**

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**Percy Has Many Problems**

Percy Jackson sighed and shouldered his worn-out messenger bag as he left his apartment in Manhattan to go to work. With his black coffee in hand, he grabbed a taxi to Overseas Inc., a company that worked with people over in Europe with different sorts of things, but mostly exports and trading. His father owned it, but about a year ago he had made Percy CEO while he himself went to run the company in Europe.

"_I trust you, son," his father, Poseidon (people always questioned why he was named that, but he never answered them truthfully), had told him. "Apart from you, the only people who work here are dimwitted and rather annoying," he smiled cheekily. Percy just rolled his eyes._

Percy shook his head at the memory. He really worried about his dad sometimes. His father had a very wide emotional pallet. Some days he was serious and focused and completely scary. Other days, he was laid-back, off-task, and just plain silly. It was rather disconcerting.

When the taxi arrived, Percy stepped out and entered the massive brick building that was Overseas Inc. When he entered through the glass double doors, he received many, "Good morning, Mr. Jackson," but he just grunted in reply. He was tired, and he wasn't in the mood to keep up pleasantries. The only thing that was really keeping him going was his delicious coffee. Percy loved coffee—always black—and without it, he wasn't sure he could survive.

He made his way to the elevator, which—gratefully—opened right away. He hit the button for the twenty-ninth floor, and as soon as the doors closed, Percy sighed and leaned his head back against the stainless steel wall. For some reason, he had a bad feeling about today. It was this nagging thought in the back of his head, like he had eaten a big, spicy burrito (he hated spicy things) and was now getting a horrible stomachache.

In seconds, the elevator dinged open. He stepped off and traveled down the hallway into his office. When he caught sight of who was waiting for him, he realized that he had good reason to worry about the coming day. In his office was his dad, waiting for him with a sheepish expression covering his features. Percy's brow furrowed at him, and it was then that he saw another man next to his dad, someone that he had never seen before.

"Uh, hi Dad…" Percy started weakly, putting his bag and coffee on the desk. "What are you doing here?" he asked, directing his question to Poseidon while eyeing the unknown suit. It was a bit comical seeing this man's sophisticated, lint-less, onyx-black suit next to his dad, who was wearing khaki shorts and a Hawaiian shirt. It was obvious his dad had just flown in from Europe. But why would he come here without telling Percy first?

"You're Percy Jackson, yes?" the man questioned. His hair was salt-and-pepper colored and his face was creased with smiling wrinkles. "Poseidon's son?"

"Yeah…" Percy answered slowly, his brows still furrowed in confusion. "And you are…?"

"I'm Mike Swanson, owner and CEO of Swanson Architectural Company," Mike answered. "I'm here because your father says you'll—"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Poseidon immediately interrupted, holding his hands up. "I never said he would actually agree. I merely said it was _likely_ he'd agree…"

Percy narrowed his eyes at his dad. "Dad, what did you do?"

Poseidon flinched from his accusing tone. He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly and answered, "I may or may not have lost a poker game is all…"

Percy raised a brow. "'Is all'?" he sighed. That sinking feeling suddenly returned. He pinched the bridge of his nose and leaned heavily against his desk. Finally connecting the pieces, his voice was strained as he asked, "Dad, what did you bet?"

Poseidon shifted nervously, playing with the button on his Hawaiian shirt. Just as he opened his mouth to answer, Mike Swanson cut in. "He bet the ownership of his company."

"What?" Percy yelled incredulously, instantly turning on his father. "You bet the company?"

"It was the only thing I had at the time!" Poseidon defended.

Percy ignored him and closed his eyes, slowly counting to ten. He once read online that it was supposed to help you calm down. He hoped it worked.

_One…two…_

"But! But!" Poseidon started quickly, holding his hands up in a placating motion. "Mr. Swanson here has offered to let us keep our company!"

_Three…four…five…_

"On one condition," Mike said, holding up a finger. "You see, Fredrick Chase, a man who owns a postal company that is crucial to my own company, has gone bankrupt, and so now he can't afford to keep his business."

_Six…seven…_

"He has a daughter—Annabeth, who works for me—and if she were to marry someone who owned a wealthy company, some of the money would go to her father's business. Mr. Chase could keep his company, and I would still have an excellent business. My offer to you, in order to keep your company, is to marry Annabeth."

_Eight…nine…te—wait, what?_

"What?" Percy asked aloud. His shock caused his anger to ebb away as he stared incredulously at Mike. "Could you repeat that?" he asked weakly.

"Marry Annabeth, or lose your company. That's my only offer."

"Please, son," Poseidon begged. "It's the only way. I'll be eternally grateful if you do this!"

Percy huffed. "You're an idiot, you know that?" he replied snarkily to Poseidon. His father didn't say anything. He just continued to stare at his son with pleading eyes.

Percy sighed, plopping down in his chair. "I need a few minutes to think about this."

"Of course, of course!" Poseidon conceded. "Mike and I will be down getting some coffee." He ushered Mike out the door, and as soon as it shut, Percy groaned and rubbed his eyes, collapsing in his wheelie chair. He felt like throwing something at his dad. Preferably something big and heavy. Like a brick.

How could his dad be so stupid as to bet the company? Why was he even playing poker in the first place? He hated poker, and quite frankly, he sucked at it (which was demonstrated with this little stunt). Now they were at the risk of losing the company, and without this job, Percy would probably be a hobo living in some random dark, creepy alley.

He sighed. Losing the company, believe it or not, was the least of his worries. He was mostly concerned about the deal. He really didn't want to marry some chick he didn't even know. What if she was a freak? Or an illegal alien? Then he'd be stuck with her for the rest of his life. That was a depressing thought.

But then again, what if she was incredibly beautiful? What if she was amazing and he passed up the deal? Not only would he become a hobo like he feared, but he would regret rejecting the deal, and he would always wonder "what if?"

Percy clenched his teeth together, running his hands through his hair. He was really having a bad day.

He stood up and left his office, only to stop at his secretary's desk.

"Good morning, Mr. Jackson," she greeted happily. Percy just grunted in reply. She chuckled. "Bad morning?"

"You don't even know the half of it," he replied darkly. "Could you have some aspirin on my desk when I get back from talking with my father?"

"Yes, sir. So did your dad do something horribly stupid again?"

"Of course he did. You know my dad," he said, walking off. Even though Poseidon had been in Europe for quite some time now, he was still notorious for making odd—and sometimes reckless—decisions. Somehow, though, they always turned out to work. Even with that in mind, Percy still thought this whole situation was idiotic.

Eventually he met up with his dad and Mike, who were having coffee in the workroom.

"Ah, Percy!" Poseidon greeted cheerfully. He was drinking coffee when he said this, so some of it dribbled onto his shirt. Either he didn't care or he didn't notice because he just continued on to ask, "Did you make a decision?"

Percy sighed. "Yup."

"And that is?" Mike asked.

"Fine. I'll marry this guy's daughter."

Poseidon wanted to squeal in excitement, but that wouldn't be manly, so he settled on grinning. "I knew you'd come through, Percy!"

"But _you_ have to tell mom," Percy amended with an evil smirk at his dad, who paled considerably.

Percy knew that his dad was slightly afraid of his mom, even if they weren't married anymore. When Percy was little, his mom and dad got a divorce and now his mom, Sally, was married to Paul Blofis, a principal at Goode high school. Anyways, his mom had a slight…_protectiveness_ over Percy. She knew how his dad could be, and she worried about him. One time, when he was little and his parents were still together, his dad gave him cookies before dinner, so Percy was really full and he couldn't finish eating. When his mom found out it was his dad who had given him the cookies…well, let's just say Poseidon didn't dare go anywhere near the cookies after that. Again, it's not that she had a bad temper; she was just worried for Percy's well being.

Percy turned towards Mike while Poseidon held an expression of fear and worry on his face, lost in his own frightened thoughts.

Mike smiled. "Great. That being said, I'd like you to come to my company tomorrow so you can meet her." Percy nodded and shook hands with him. Mike left, but not before saying to Poseidon, "Pleasure doing business with you."

Poseidon just glared at him and Mike just chuckled as he left. Poseidon then turned his glare onto Percy. "Why do _I_ have to tell her?"

"Because _you're_ the one who got me into this mess," Percy retorted.

"But it's _your_ engagement!"

Percy blinked. His engagement. He would have to get used to that. "But I wouldn't be engaged if it wasn't for _you_ and your crappy poker playing."

Poseidon's eyes narrowed. "Har, har. Very funny."

"I'm not telling her, and you know that if we don't tell her now, she'll be that much angrier when she finds out later."

Poseidon sighed, finally relenting. "Yeah, you're right."

A few seconds passed by in silence.

"You're not going to call her, are you?" Percy accused.

"No, not yet. I'll wait at least until tomorrow once you've actually met Annabeth."

Percy rolled his eyes. _Typical..._

His father had stayed for a little longer, but then finally he left to go back to the old house he used to live in before moving to Europe. He would be staying there until this whole mess was taken care of. Percy sighed. How was it that he went from single and miserable, to _engaged_ and miserable, all in the span of half an hour?

The rest of the day was a struggle. He had a very hard time concentrating on anything, so he didn't get much accomplished. When it was finally time for him to close shop, he put away the files he'd been trying to work on and grabbed his jacket and bag. It was time to go home. He walked down the empty and slightly dark hallways. Everyone else had already gone home. He took the elevator down to the first floor and stepped outside into the cool night air. Percy decided to walk home instead of calling for a cab. Hopefully he could clear his mind and try to come to grips with all that had taken place today.

He was a little nervous for tomorrow, but there was no way out of this situation now that he had agreed to marry this Annabeth girl. He just hoped to God she was worth it.

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**So what did you think? Let me know and review! Thanks for reading! **

**-Akatsuki Child**

**(Edited April 2012)**


	2. Annabeth's Not Happy

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed! I really appreciate that :D**

**Thanks again to Clara Fonteyn and Stolen Silent Stars for beta-ing!**

**Disclaimer: I (sadly) do not own PJO!**

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**Annabeth is Not Happy**

Annabeth Chase was not having a good morning. Her hair was a mess and her white, button-up shirt wasn't tucked in, but that was the last thing on her mind. Right now, she just wanted to get to work on time. She ran down the street as fast as she could in her black, three-inch stilettos and black, knee-length pencil skirt. Her gold, leather bag full of all her stuff—both work-related and not—was hanging from her elbow, swinging around to hit her side, along with anyone who dared to walk by her.

Upon arriving, she quickly opened the door to Swanson Architectural Company and ran inside. She ran to the elevator, but on it was a sign that read, "Out of Order."

"Oh, you are _kidding_ me!" she shouted, alarming many of the other workers who were straggling in the lobby. They watched as the frazzled young woman yanked the door to the stairs open and disappeared behind it.

Annabeth grimaced as she looked up to see the stairs winding all the way up. She had to get to the fifteenth floor. Fifteen flights of stairs…

"Oh, God…what did I do to deserve this?" she groaned as she started her journey. It was one thing to climb stars, but to ascend them with _stilettos_ and a _pencil skirt?_ That was something totally different.

After having to stop a couple times to catch her breath, Annabeth finally made it to the fifteenth floor. She wrenched open the door and hurried to her boss' office.

"I'm here!" she announced as she piled in with all the grace of a hippo. She collapsed on one of the white leather chairs across from her boss' his desk, her hair even messier than before and her shirt askew.

Mike sighed. "You're late, Annabeth."

"I know. I'm sorry," she said, fixing her appearance while she tried to catch her breath.

"No, it's ok. Let's just get to work."

Annabeth nodded and stood up. She started to take out some blueprints from her bag, but Mike stopped her.

"Uh, you won't be needing those today…" he started slowly, a bit of uncertainty lacing his words.

Annabeth blinked, thoroughly confused. "Why not?"

Mike swallowed. He was a bit afraid to tell Annabeth the news. She was an all-around nice girl, but she had a hell of a temper. "Y-you may want to sit down. I have something to tell you."

Now Annabeth was worried. Still clutching the blueprints tightly in her hands, she slowly sat down on the edge of the chair. "What's going on?"

Mike cleared his throat and straightened his tie—a nervous habit of his. "You are aware of the current state of your father's company, yes?"

Annabeth nodded grimly. "Of course."

"Well…I may have found a way to save it."

"Really?" she asked in amazement. "That's great! How?"

He took a deep breath. "Are you familiar with Overseas Inc.?"

Annabeth's brow furrowed in thought. "Uh…no. I've never heard of them."

"Well, when I was in Europe, I played a game of poker with the owner, and he bet his company in one of the rounds—"

"What an idiot," Annabeth murmured. Mike ignored her and continued.

"—and he lost. However, I struck up a deal with him that would save both his company and your father's…"

She waited for him to continue but he never did. "…So?" she prompted. "What was the deal?"

This was where he hesitated. He could just chicken out and say it was something else, but he couldn't do that. He would get in trouble if he did.

"Well, uh, t-that's the thing…um…the only agreement they would, er…agree on…was if you..." He mumbled the last part.

"What was that?" Annabeth asked, leaning closer.

Mike took another breath. "If you ma…"

"One more time?" She leaned in even closer.

"If you marry their son!"

Annabeth fell forward from both shock and leaning forward too much. She squeaked and grabbed onto the desk. She peered up at Mike on her knees from behind the desk. She opened her mouth to say something—anything—but she couldn't. She just sat there, looking like a fish, trying to process what he just said. Finally, she swallowed and slowly stood up.

"Marry…his…son…" She shook her head. "Why would I do that? I don't even know him! No, I'm not doing it."

"W-well you see…he, uh…already…agreed…" he swallowed. His voice had gotten smaller with each passing second, and with each passing moment her expression became more and more furious.

"WHAT?"

"H-he's really a n-nice guy! Honest! I-I met him myself!"

Smoke was practically pouring from her ears as she demanded, "Humor me and tell me whether or not I'm correct: you made a deal with some man, from some company, that I would marry his son _just_ so he could keep his company?"

"A-and so your father would keep his," Mike added in, which probably wasn't the right thing to say.

"Ugh!" she yelled, throwing her hands up. "I can't believe this! There's got to be another way!"

Mike shook his head. "I'm sorry. There isn't."

Apparently, that wasn't the right answer. She glared harshly at him. "This is your fault, you know that?" Mike just looked sheepish as he glanced at anything but her. "I can't believe I'm engaged to someone I don't even know!"

"Uh, well, you'll know him today…"

Her eyes narrowed. "What was that?"

"He'll be coming here today to m-meet you…"

"AHH!"

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Percy ran a hand through his hair as he pulled his dad—dressed in a nice suit this time—into Swanson Architectural Company where he would be meeting not only Mike, but his new fiancée Annabeth as well. The two took the elevator—the one that wasn't broken down—to the fifteenth floor and walked into Mike's office.

"You ready to meet her?" Poseidon asked his son.

Percy sighed. "As ready as I'll ever be."

The two suddenly heard yelling coming from inside, along with a thump like something being thrown. The father and son exchanged glances. Poseidon snorted. "Good luck, son." And he swiftly pushed the doors open.

Poseidon and Percy filed in, Poseidon with a grin on his face and Percy with an expression that said 'I-really-don't-want-to-be-here-right-now.' However, he did find the scene before him slightly amusing: Mike, cowering behind his desk, as a petite woman stood glaring over him. Percy took in the woman, and his heart stuttered.

She had beautiful, golden, wavy hair that stopped a little past her shoulders. Her eyes were a stormy gray. And that body! She was definitely a looker, and she had amazing legs.

Suddenly, her head turned to glare at the two intruders. Percy blinked. He found himself slightly frightened just by her murderous stare.

"Ah! Percy! Poseidon! So glad you could make it," Mike quickly said, standing up. Annabeth continued to glare at them as she crossed her arms.

"Percy, I'd like you to meet Annabeth, your, uh…_fiancée._"

Percy looked over at Annabeth and put on his best smile, but she just continued to glare at him.

"Uh…hey…" Percy said stupidly, slightly deterred by her hostility.

"Hi," she replied bluntly, not even caring to use her manners. Percy narrowed his eyes. So it was going to be like that, huh? Fine. Two could play at that game.

"Let's give these two kiddies some time to get to know each other," Poseidon suggested, hurriedly pulling Mike outside before the tension suffocated them.

The newly engaged couple stood in silence and stared each other down. Finally, Annabeth put her hands on her hips.

"All right. Listen to me, and listen good. I don't like you," she said flatly. Percy crossed his arms, waiting for what else she had to say. "I don't like the fact that we're getting married. The only reason I'm doing this is to save my father's company. I don't care about you, your company, or even your father."

Poseidon and Mike, who had been listening through the door, winced.

"Ouch, man," Poseidon said.

Percy narrowed his eyes and glared at her. "Likewise."

Annabeth huffed. "Fair enough." She started to walk to the door. "Now, if you excuse me, I have work to do."

She tried to walk around Percy, but Percy stepped in front of her, effectively blocking her path of exit. He was a little ticked off with her. What right did she have to just write him off like that?

Annabeth blinked up at him incredulously and went to step around him, but he just stepped in front of her again.

She huffed. "What the hell are you doing?" she asked rudely.

"Stopping you because you're being a total jerk right now," Percy replied with a fake smile and a sarcastic tone.

"_I'm_ being a jerk?" she asked incredulously. "I think _you're_ the one who's being a jerk!"

"How am I being a jerk?"

"You won't let me leave!"

"Because you just decided to leave after you barely said two words to me!"

"If your head wasn't filled with kelp you would have heard me say that I don't want anything to do with you!"

The two were now nose to nose, glaring at each other. Percy's jaw was locked tight. His eyes were hard with anger and dislike towards this girl. His hands were clenched tightly at his side. Annabeth, despite being a head shorter than him, even in heels, glared back at him fiercely. Her narrow face was set in an angry scowl while her hands grasped her hips. It was clear that neither was going to back down.

Suddenly, Poseidon and Mike burst in.

"Hey! Let's have some lunch!"

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**Oh jeez. Mike and Poseidon. So Percy and Annabeth meet and fight already...oh dear. Not good. **

**Thanks for reading and review please!**

**-Akatsuki Child**

**(Edited April 2012)**


	3. Hang Out or Lose the Job

**Hey guys! Good news: I am CPR certified! So if someone goes unconscious due to this awesome story, I can jump through the computer and save them! Yay!**

**Tee hee :D Thanks to everyone who reviewed and a HUGE THANKS TO MY BETAS, Stolen Silent Stars and Clara Fonteyn!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own PJO!**

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**Hang Out or Lose the Job**

The entire lunch was spent eating in an awkward, suffocating silence. If Percy and Annabeth weren't glaring daggers at each other, they were exchanging (mostly poor, on-the-spot) insults. Poseidon, on the other hand, was thinking about the dreaded phone call he would have to eventually make to Sally. He could just imagine how that would go down—"Hey, Sally, it's me, your ex! I just wanted to tell you that your son is getting married to a temperamental, smart, and witty girl! Oh, and did I mention they hate each other and that this whole engagement was due to my poor and idiotic poker playing?"

That conversation wouldn't end well.

Mike was left with the task of trying to calm Percy and Annabeth down, but he would either be ignored or snapped at viciously. So, he would just sigh and eventually stopped his attempts at trying to create some semblance of peace. Instead, he mildly listened to the quarrelers as he swirled his—now soggy— salad around his plate.

"You're so selfish, Seaweed Brain!" Annabeth practically yelled, causing other people in the restaurant to look over at their table in astonishment and irritation.

"'Seaweed Brain'?" Percy questioned incredulously.

"Your head is so full of kelp!" she fired back.

"Could you keep it down, Wise Girl?"

"Wise Girl? Is that the best you've got?"

"It's as good as Seaweed Brain!"

"You're unbelievable!"

Mike sighed for the umpteenth time. _Why did I ever strike this deal? _he groaned in his head. They had just met and already this plot of Poseidon's was showing signs of failure. "How about we get back to work?" he suggested. Even work was better than listening to these two bicker endlessly.

"_Gladly_," Annabeth said empathetically, standing up roughly. "Let's go, Mike."

"Uh, actually…" Annabeth slowly turned around to give Mike a dead stare that would've instantly had him six feet under. It was a look that said, _I dare you to fuck with me. _"…we need to talk. _All_ of us."

Percy's brow furrowed as he thought of what else could possibly make this day shittier. However, Poseidon looked rather amused. _Boy, are they in for a surprise,_ he thought while inconspicuously hiding a smirk behind a cough.

Back at Mike's office, Annabeth and Percy sat on the two brown leather chairs that sunk when they fell into them. Annabeth's eye twitched often from her anger and irritation. Percy entertained himself by thinking of the best way to kill Mike. Mike was making a few mental notes to get body guards (and other assorted protection) while Poseidon stood nervously near the door, ready to make a mad dash for it if (when) the two decided to attack him.

"So let me get this straight…" Percy started, clearing his throat. "_Dad_ wants to expand our building, and you guys are going to help us, so we'll all be _stuck _working together….for three…whole…_miserable…_weeks?"

"Yup, that about sums it up."

Percy returned to his murderous thoughts.

"The good news is we're not starting today!" Poseidon clarified as if this news was any consolation to what Annabeth and Percy had declared as their impending doom.

"Yes, that's right. We'll let you two leave to, uh…get to know each other…." Mike said cautiously. "Consider it a day off."

"What if I don't want to be around this kid?" Annabeth countered stiffly, her nose in the air.

"Well, then you can say goodbye to your job," Mike retorted bravely. He knew that his threat was a bit much, considering she was basically forced to marry this guy, who was practically a stranger. However, by marrying Percy, she saved three companies. Quite frankly, spending the day with him wasn't going to kill her.

Annabeth's jaw dropped and her face flushed while her body went rigid. Even Percy had to admit that Mike's ultimatum was harsh, but he would never actually say that, so instead he remained silent.

Then it sunk in.

"Wait, you're saying we have to spend the _whole __day_ together?" Percy asked incredulously.

"Of course! You need to get to know your future wife, Percy!" Poseidon argued by the safety of the door.

Just then, Mike's secretary opened the door, momentarily cutting the tension between the four occupants. "Mr. Jackson?"

Both Percy and Poseidon answered, "Yes?"

She blinked a couple times. "Er, Poseidon, sir. Sally is on line one for you."

Poseidon noticeably paled. He swallowed thickly. "Thank you," he said weakly.

Percy grinned victoriously as the secretary left. "Better go talk to her, Dad," he said with immense, personal glee.

Poseidon sneered at his son and left without another word. When the door quietly clicked shut, the tension came back full force. Mike sat behind the safety of his desk, completely nervous now that he was alone with his two (furious) co-workers.

"You two should, you know…go…" Mike mumbled suggestively. He did his best to hide his anxiety, but judging by their reactions, he had failed miserably.

Annabeth rolled her eyes at Mike's childish behavior. Percy wordlessly got up and stalked out the door with a somber expression covering his face. Annabeth reluctantly followed after him, making sure to grab her bag. They entered the elevator silently, ignoring each other. Percy was preoccupied with thinking about how his life had suddenly flipped upside down. He also thought about how life was going to change while being married to this woman.

_Horrible,_ he thought. _Just plain horrible._

Annabeth, too, was thinking about why she had to marry this asshole. She had only wanted to help her dad, but now that she had agreed, she was starting to regret her decision. She couldn't spend the rest of her life with this jerk! There was no doubt in her mind that she would go crazy by the end of the year. Plus, with all of the fighting they were already doing, she would get wrinkles and frown lines by the time she was thirty-five. That was _not_ something she wanted, and she would do what she could to prevent that from happening.

The elevator buzzed open, and the doors slid open. The two (still ignoring each other) stepped out and walked out the front glass doors to the sun shining warmly outside. Annabeth immediately went to go right while Percy went left, but then Annabeth noticed this and shouted, "Hey!"

Percy reluctantly stopped and sighed. He jerked around, giving her a flat look. "What?" he asked bluntly.

"Where are you going?" she questioned with an irked edge to her voice

"Home," he replied forcibly.

"You're not going home," she stated with a matter-of-fact tone. "You have to stay with me."

Percy shut his eyes and shook his head. "If you're talking about what Mike said, he won't know that we didn't hang out."

Suddenly, he felt two small, delicate hands wrap around his collar in a firm grasp, yanking him down. When Percy opened his eyes, he found himself literally eye to eye with Annabeth. She was glaring fiercely at him.

"Hey, my job is on the line here. I am not going to get fired from doing what I love because of you. I don't like it, but I value my job." Without another word, she released him and stalked off furiously.

Percy took a deep breath to calm down and forced himself after her. "Okay, Wise Girl, what are we going to do then?"

She twitched at the name. "Stop calling me Wise Girl."

"Then don't call me Seaweed Brain," Percy retaliated.

She decided to ignore that request. "We're definitely not going to my apartment…or yours, for that matter."

"And why not?"

Annabeth suddenly stopped and raised a brow at him. "Knowing you, it's probably a pig-sty."

Percy glared. "But see that's the thing: you don't know me…and it is _not_ a pig-sty! Sure, there are probably a few piles of clothes here and there, but it's _not_ a _pig-sty_."

"Whatever you say, Seaweed Brain."

Percy ran a hand through his hair in agitation, glaring at the woman before him. There was no way in hell he was going to survive this fake engagement.

Drenched in an uncomfortable silence, the two continued to walk down the crowded street. Annabeth was walking a few paces ahead of Percy, her black stilettos clicking against the pavement in a way that annoyed Percy to no end.

"Why do girls wear heels anyways?" he asked, shoving his hands deep into his pockets.

Annabeth glanced over at him, raising a brow. "For us, wearing heels is like guys playing video games: we love them and they make us feel more powerful and confident."

Percy shook his head at her analogy as they continued walking. They passed by many different stores selling items ranging from books to perfume. Suddenly, Annabeth veered off to enter one of them.

Percy stopped and stared at the sign that read, "Miller's Bakery." He knew this place. It was a bakery that sold all sorts of delicious desserts from cakes to bars and cookies. He followed her in and found the blonde staring at the large display of chocolate cakes, hidden behind a glass, one-inch-thick barrier. Annabeth licked her lips at seeing all the rich, wonderful, delicious _chocolate_.

"Why are we here?" Percy asked, watching her with confusion.

"After this hellish day, I think I deserve my one love," Annabeth replied without looking towards him. She began rummaging around in her purse. After a few seconds, she pulled out a shiny black wallet.

Percy put a hand on his chest in mock shock. "I'm hurt, honey. I thought _I_ was your one love. We are, after all, _engaged_."

She only glared back at him and before turning her attention towards the man behind the counter. "I'll take a cake," she declared with a genuine smile. The burly, mustached man smiled back and retrieved a cake while she handed over the appropriate money. After receiving her change, the two exited the establishment.

Percy, once again, walked behind Annabeth, who in turn was beginning to feel annoyed with this. "Why do you always walk behind me?" she accused.

"Because you have a nice ass," he replied smartly.

He adopted a wicked smirk while she gaped at him, her jaw dropping in shock. However it quickly turned to anger as she narrowed her eyes and did the only thing that she could.

She smashed the cake in his face.

"Pervert!" she exclaimed with disgust, storming off angrily. She had had enough. She was going to go home, take a nice, warm bath, and drink expensive wine and not feel a tad bit guilty about it.

Percy remained frozen for a second before slowly wiping off the chocolate frosting from his face. He glared at her retreating form and turned around to find people staring at him in shock. He ignored them, sending them a slight glare, and made his way home, scowling the whole way.

Meanwhile, Poseidon and Mike were still seated in Mike's rather large office, discussing plans for the project design, along with discussing Percy and Annabeth.

"I just hope to God they don't kill each other…" Mike expressed worriedly.

"They probably will…" Poseidon replied somberly, resisting the consuming urge to sigh. He honestly believed that the two would get along if given the opportunity. If only there was some way they could...

Suddenly, an idea struck him. "I have a plan…"

* * *

**I wonder what that plan is...Oh, wait, I already know...**

**Anyways, I just want to wish all the mothers out there an early Happy Mother's Day! Without them, we would be eating burnt toast for breakfast and wearing stain-filled shirts (gross). **

**Thanks for reading, and review please! NO FLAMES!**

**-Akatsuki Child**

**(Edited April 2012)**


	4. Drinks

**Busy week, I tell you what...Sunday--soccer games. Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday--soccer practice. Tuesdays and Thursdays--ref soccer. **

**Can you tell I like soccer?**

**Plus I only have a week of school left, so the teachers are loading the homework...and not to mention some finals...I haven't written anything in a long time. I wrote like a page yesterday of a different story and my hand started cramping. Pathetic. **

**Anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own PJO!**

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**Drinks **

The next day, Percy walked into the Swanson Architectural Company building with a grimace on his face. His father was by his side, a slight smile on his face. He knew his son was anything but happy right now. He knew Percy would rather be anywhere but here, and he was right. Percy didn't want to hang around the fiery, hot-headed, proud woman called his fiancée.

"So, did you tell Mom?" Percy asked.

Poseidon cleared his throat. "Uh, well…"

Percy sighed. "I'll take that as a 'no.'"

Just as Percy pressed the button to summon the elevator, he heard the front doors open, and he glanced over with dread. Annabeth was glaring fiercely at him as she stalked over to them, making sure to keep a good three feet between them. Once Percy saw the glare coming from her, he shivered, but cleared his throat to cover up his momentary fright.

"Morning," Percy mumbled.

Annabeth didn't say anything. She just nodded once and continued to glare at nothing. Finally, the elevator doors opened and the three stepped inside. Awkward silence fell upon them as soon as the doors closed.

"Got all that chocolate off, I see," Annabeth stated smugly.

Poseidon's eyes widened. "What?"

Percy's eyes narrowed. "Yes," he replied snarkily. "I did. _All_ of it."

"Chocolate—_oh…_er, um…" Poseidon felt his face heat up. Maybe he didn't need his plan after all…

Annabeth realized what he meant and choked on her own spit. "_No,_ no, no, no! It's not what it sounds like. I would never…I couldn't…that's just _gross_!" Annabeth sputtered.

Percy, finally catching on, blushed. "Yeah, dad. That's just…wrong."

"Finally we agree on something…" Annabeth muttered, and Percy couldn't help but smirk.

"I guess."

But the slight sentimental feeling was lost when the doors opened and they stepped into Mike's office.

"Good morning, Annabeth," he greeted, but she just "hmphed" and walked past him to the table where they were working.

"Gentlemen," Mike mumbled to Poseidon and Percy. The two just nodded and took a seat.

"Don't you dare sit by me otherwise I _will_ punch you," Annabeth threatened Percy. Percy swallowed and swiftly sat down a chair away from her.

"Alright," Mike announced. "Let's get started. As you know, Poseidon wants to expand his building. However, if he wants to expand from the original building, we'll have to build over the sea because of the shore-side location. That might be too costly, though, on your part," he said to Poseidon.

"What are our other options?" Poseidon asked. "Can't we expand over land?"

"Can't," Annabeth spoke up. "When I looked over the area, it's either city buildings and roads or private property."

"She's right. The only other option is to have part of your company in another building."

Poseidon sighed while Percy asked, "And are there any buildings close to the company?"

"Yes, there are two available buildings. One of them is a little farther than the other, but it's easier to get to."

"I guess we'll just have to go with that," Poseidon amended. "It'll have to do."

Mike nodded. "Renovations will have to be done on it. It's quite an old building."

And so, the group got to work on redesigning the old building. There were a lot of changes to be made and it would cost Poseidon quite a bit of money, but he was still willing to go through with the expansion.

After working for a couple hours, they decided to stop and go out for lunch.

"I'm not going with him," Annabeth stated, crossing her arms. "All he does is stare at my ass. Besides, I'm meeting Thalia and Luke, so you guys go right ahead." She then stalked off outside and disappeared around the corner.

"Percy!" Poseidon gasped in horror. "I thought I raised you better than that!"

Percy rolled his eyes. "Dad, you barely raised me at all."

"I'm hurt! I was with you for six years!"

Percy sighed while Mike chuckled.

_My dad's a kid…_Percy thought glumly.

"Annabeth! Over here!" Thalia Grace—the future Mrs. Castellan—waved over Annabeth. She and Luke were sitting in a booth, waiting for her to come over.

Annabeth grinned and slid in chair opposite of the couple. "Hey guys!" she greeted.

"Hey, Annabeth," Luke said calmly with a smile.

"So how have things been?" Thalia asked. "We haven't heard from you in a while."

Annabeth sighed. "This last week has been horrible. You'll _never_ believe what happened yesterday."

"What?"

"Well, Mike thought it would be fun to mess up my life."

"How?"

"This guy lost his company in a poker game against Mike—" Thalia snorted at this, "—and he made a deal with the guy to save his company and my dad's company."

"And what was the deal?"

"I have to marry his son."

Thalia's eyes widened and Luke just laughed. "It's not funny!" Annabeth whined. "The guy's a perverted jerk!"

"What's his name?" Thalia asked.

"Percy Jackson."

"Never heard of him."

"Well I hope you never have to meet him."

"Wow. You must really hate him. And you have to marry him?"

"Yup," Annabeth sighed miserably. The way she saw it, nothing she said was going to stop them from getting married.

She pursed her lips, but then something struck her.

Nothing she _said_ would stop them from getting married…

Hmm…but what if she…

Annabeth suddenly gave a short chuckle, causing Thalia and Luke to raise a brow.

"What?" Thalia asked.

"Nothing I _say_ will stop us from getting married…but what if I drove him crazy? Made him back out of the deal by being so annoying and crazy, that he just _has_ to leave me?" Annabeth said, a grin on her face.

"You know…that might actually work…" Thalia said.

Annabeth smirked. "Oh it'll work. I'll make sure of that."

Thalia and Luke exchanged worried glances as Annabeth started to make a mental list of things she could do to drive her fiancé insane.

"I can't marry her, Dad," Percy said, biting into his sandwich. "We'll kill each other!"

Poseidon shifted uncomfortably in his seat, an act that didn't go unnoticed by Percy. "What?" Percy asked, staring at his dad.

"Well, I'm sorry, son, but it's too late to go back now."

Percy sighed and swallowed his food. "I figured that much."

"Umm…there's something else, too."

"What?" Percy snapped.

"Mike and I are going out for d-drinks tonight to celebrate, and we want you and A-Annabeth to come…?" he stuttered, his statement becoming a question.

Percy pinched the bridge of his nose. "I'll come, but you know Annabeth won't."

"Correction: she won't come if she knows you're going to be there…"

"You mean lie?"

"Not lying…just not giving her all the information."

"And what do you plan on telling her when she asks if I'll be there?"

"Well…then I'll tell her, but then I'll threaten her job."

Percy shook his head. "You know you can only do that for so long before she finds out you and Mike are bluffing, right?"

Poseidon scoffed. "And what makes you think we're bluffing?"

"Annabeth's a good architect. You wouldn't give her up even for a million dollars."

Poseidon just ignored him and pulled out his phone, dialing Annabeth's number.

"Hello?"

"Annabeth! It's Poseidon!"

"Oh. Hi Mr. Jackson."

"Tonight Mike and I are going for drinks to celebrate, and I was wondering if you wanted to join us?"

"…will Percy be there?"

"Um, yeah."

"…okay, I'll come. What time?"

"Six-thirty!"

"Okay, I'll see you then."

She hung up and Poseidon smiled. "She's coming." He glanced at his watch. "I need to go. I have something I need to do. Oh, by the way, you should come at six so that way you have a whole half an hour to get good and drunk," his dad winked.

Percy rolled his eyes. "Thanks, Dad. You're so thoughtful."

Once their lunch break was over, the group was in Mike's office, still working on the blueprints.

"See, I think if we put in another floor here, then—"

"POSEIDON!" Sally Blofis (formally known as Sally Jackson) burst through the door with all the rage of a bull. Mike's secretary was standing behind her with a sheepish expression.

Poseidon winced. "Hello, Sally dear!"

"Don't you 'Sally dear' me, Poseidon!" she demanded, her hands on her hips. "How could you do this to our son?"

_So he finally called her…_Percy thought wryly.

Sally spotted her son standing off to the side. "Oh, Percy! Honey, are you okay?" she asked, crushing him in a hug.

"I'm fine, Mom," Percy grumbled, grabbing her shoulders. "Um…this is her, Annabeth Chase," he said, gesturing to Annabeth and smirking at her. Annabeth sent him a glare before returning her gaze to Percy's mom. Annabeth smiled slightly at her.

Sally blinked and then leaned up to Percy to say, "Well, she's very pretty."

Annabeth had heard, though. She and Percy blushed slightly. "Er…" Percy mumbled pathetically.

That's when Mike cut in to fill the awkward silence. "Hi, Mrs. Blofis. I'm Mike Swanson," he said, holding out his hand.

"Please call me Sally," Sally returned, shaking his hand. She then turned back to Poseidon. "We need to talk," she said, her voice like steel. She grabbed Poseidon's shirt collar and dragged him outside the office.

The three inside the office didn't say anything. It was silent—too silent. You could've heard a pin drop.

Then…

"I can't believe you! Are you that incompetent that you would do this to our son? Don't you even care about him?"

"B-b-but Sally! It's not like that!"

"The hell it's not!" Sally then sighed. "But I guess there's nothing we can do now." She glared at Poseidon again. "If this ends badly for our son, you can count on another visit from me." She left him cowering in his spot as she entered the office again. The three quickly gave the appearance that they working and not eavesdropping.

"Percy!" Sally exclaimed.

Percy turned and said, "Yeah, Mom?"

"I have to go now," she said, giving him a hug. "I'll talk to you later. It was nice to meet the both of you," she smiled at Annabeth and Mike. She then left, giving Poseidon one last glare.

Poseidon blinked as he slowly entered the office again.

"And my father is officially traumatized…" Percy mumbled sarcastically.

It was six fifteen, and Percy found himself with his dad at the bar. He was currently on his fifth shot of tequila, and he was just getting started. Poseidon didn't know whether to sigh or laugh, so he just asked the bartender for another round.

Percy gulped it down in one shot. He sighed happily. "Ah, Dad, you should join me! Come on, have a couple of shots! Let loose!"

Poseidon smirked. _Everything's going according to plan, _he thought.

He feigned contemplation. "Hmm…" Poseidon sighed. "Well, I guess I have no choice! Hey, bartender! Let's get another round!"

The bartender sighed and filled their shot glasses.

"Bottom's up!" Percy cheered, clinking his glass with his father's. They swallowed the warm liquid in record timing and then asked the bartender for the bottle.

"How about a little competition?" Poseidon suggested.

"Suuure," Percy slurred.

"First one to quit drinking shots looses," he smirked evilly.

Percy returned the smirk. "You're on!"

**--Fifteen minutes later—**

Annabeth entered the bar with Mike at six thirty-five. The only reason she agreed to come here was so she could start with her 'Drive Percy Nuts' plan. She planned on embarrassing him and being completely annoying. She _was_ going to wear a dress, but she decided against it and just went in her work clothes.

The two entered the bar and scanned the area, looking for them. Annabeth was the one who spotted them, and all thoughts of doing her plan flew out the window. She narrowed her eyes at the two drunk idiots sitting at the bar, drinking tequila shots like there was no tomorrow.

"Come on," she said to Mike, who had also spotted them and laughed.

"Mike!" Poseidon slurred after taking another shot. "How's it going?" He took another shot.

Annabeth stared at Percy in disgust as he continued to drink, completely ignoring Annabeth. "Percy!" she exclaimed.

Percy's head lolled to the side and he grinned. "Annabeth!" he said, barely able to say it coherently. "What are you doin' here?"

"You're drunk."

Percy sniffed. "Nuh-uh," he argued.

She sighed. "Mike, could you please—" She stopped short when she saw Mike grinning and taking off his jacket to sit down.

"You've got to be kidding me…" Annabeth mumbled. So it was now that Annabeth found herself looking after two already drunk men, and one that was about to join the party.

She sighed and sat down next to Percy. Looks like she was the designated driver tonight.

Percy was about to pour the last of the liquids into his glass when suddenly the bottle was no longer in his hands. He blinked and looked around himself—even going as far as digging in his pockets—for it until he finally found the bartender with it. He was shaking his head at Percy.

"You've had enough," he said firmly, storing the bottle away.

Percy narrowed his eyes. "You sir," he said, trying to point at the man. However, his arm ended up flailing limply around himself. "are mean, and I hope you get hit by a big, orange bus!" He hiccupped once. "Yeah."

Annabeth pressed her lips together to keep from laughing. Oh God he was making a huge fool of himself. She desperately wished she had a camera right now.

Percy tried to stand up but he tripped and fell on the ground. He got up on shaky legs and was going to the door, but he started drifting to the right and he landed in a chair at a table with some women talking amongst themselves.

"Hello, ladies," Percy said. They scoffed at him and left. Annabeth rolled her eyes and got up to help him. She glanced back at Poseidon and Mike, who were having a good old marry time together.

_Meh,_ she thought,_ they'll be fine._

She continued to walk to Percy, who was now talking to a coat hanger.

"I mean the economy these days is just _blah_," she heard Percy say. She just shook her head.

"Come on, Seaweed Brain," she said, grabbing his arm and wrapping it around her shoulder. She wrapped her other arm around his waist. "You need to go home." She led him to the door.

"Yes, Mother," Percy replied.

Annabeth's eye twitched.

Once they stepped outside, Annabeth stopped. "Crap," she said out loud. She didn't know where he lived.

_Hmm…he has to have a wallet on him…_

She bit her lip and looked up at Percy who was grinning like an idiot. She huffed and blew a piece of hair out of her face.

_Thank God he won't remember this…_

She then started rummaging through his coat pockets, trying to find his wallet but with no such luck. A wave of dread washed over her as she realized the only place left was his back pockets.

She took a deep breath then slowly reached for his back pocket.

_This is so wrong!_

Percy started squirming and he chuckled. "Stop that! It tickles!"

Now she was creeped out. She quickly went to the second pocket and found his wallet.

_Bingo._

She pulled it out and started going through it, trying to find a key or a card or _something _that would indicate where he lived. She wasn't having much luck with it, but she did find out that Percy was pretty rich.

"Ah ha!" she exclaimed, pulling out a business-type card.

_Percy Jackson_

_Condominium 12C_

_512 West Eighteenth Street_

She wasn't surprise he lived in a condo. In fact, she would have been surprised if he didn't.

She read the address again. _That's not too far from here,_ she thought, _might as well just walk._

"Come on, Perce," she mumbled, putting his wallet back in his coat pocket.

"Okley dokley," he said and the two started to his apartment.

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**I loved writing Drunk Percy :D It was awesome. **

**OH! I got Rick Riordan's new book! The Red Pyramid. I've only read the first chapter, but it's really good so far. It's a bit different from Percy Jackson, though. **

**Tonight, I'm going to Hot Tub Time Machine and Kickass...it's going to be awesome.**

**Thanks for reading and review please! As always, please no flames!**

**--Akatsuki Child**


	5. Dragging Bodies, Tied Hands, Hangovers

**Hmmm...I don't really have any words of wisdom to deliver today. Graduation is coming up...I'm going to a dance on Friday...I only have four days of school left...**

**Umm...yeah...OH! Huge thanks to Clara Fonteyn and Stolen Silent Stars, my betas!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own PJO!**

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**Chapter Five—Dragging Bodies, Tied Hands, and Hangovers**

Annabeth about collapsed from him leaning against her and resting all his weight on her. It was like dragging a dead body.

"God, Percy! You're either really muscular or really fat," she huffed, readjusting herself so she could take the weight.

After ten minutes, she finally made it to his condo. She dumped him on his bed and leaned against the wall to catch her breath. She then got up and went to the kitchen, found a glass, filled it with water, and brought it back and put it on the table beside his bed.

When she glanced at him, she saw he was sleeping, and well, she had to admit he looked…cute.

She sighed. In a way, she pitied him. Like her, he didn't really have a choice. It was either marry her or lose the company, which was like her situation with her dad's company.

_Maybe if we would have met on other terms, _Annabeth thought, _we wouldn't be fighting._

Suddenly, Percy moaned and his arm wrapped itself around Annabeth's neck and pulled her head to his chest.

Annabeth growled. _On second thought, we'd still be fighting._

She shoved at his chest, hoping to either get out of his grasp forcefully or wake him up, but nothing happened. She then focused her efforts on trying to get his arm off. She pulled at his arm, but either she was just really weak and she needed to start going to the gym, or Percy wasn't going to let her go easily.

She growled. "Percy."

His hand twitched. "Percy! Wake up!"

He grumbled and started to turn to his side, and Annabeth took her chance. She swiftly ducked her head under his arm and stumbled back to the door. She glared at his back. She had planned to just get her coat and leave, but an idea struck her as she spotted a belt. She smirked and picked it up. She proceeded towards Percy with caution, avoiding any arms that might fancy trapping her again. She slowly brought his hand up to the bedpost and, using the belt, tied his hand to it. She tied it tight so it would be hard for him to get it undone in the morning.

She stood back and admired her work. "Maybe I should tie the other one, just for good measure…" she mused to herself. She shrugged and found another belt, tying his other hand to the other bed post.

_You brought this on yourself, Percy,_ she thought, _getting drunk and passing out…Who do you think you are?_

She grabbed her coat and made her way to the door. She glanced back at him and his sleeping form and smiled before finally leaving.

_What the hell happened?_

This was Percy's first thought as he finally came to. He opened his eyes and winced. It felt like someone was attacking his head with a sledgehammer. The light streaming in from his window only made things worse.

_Well, at least I'm in my own room and I'm fully clothed…_

He groaned and tried to bring his hands to his eyes but found he couldn't. He froze. He tugged his arms again, but they still stayed above his head. He glanced up with much difficulty to find his hands tied to the posts with his belts.

He stared at them.

_What…the…hell…?_

How…? Who…? _Dammit_, he couldn't remember! He couldn't remember anything! The only thing he remembered was going to the bar with his dad. After that, everything was a haze. He must have really been hammered.

The alarm clock on his nightstand suddenly went off, scaring the living daylights out of him. He looked over to see it was eight fifteen.

_Crap!_ he thought. He had to go work in fifteen minutes.

He looked up at his hands again and tugged and pulled and yanked at them, but they were tied together too tightly.

Come on, who could tie a belt like that?

Percy then was hit with flashbacks of the previous night: Annabeth yelling at him, he himself yelling at the bartender, Annabeth dragging him home…

His eyes narrowed. _Annabeth…_

Oh, she would pay for this.

Percy got over his anger momentarily so he could get himself out of this situation. He painfully scooted up to one of his hands. Using his teeth, he started gnawing on the belt, trying to untie it.

_I hate her, I hate her, I hate her…_It was a mantra in his head as he twisted and turned his head to get the best angle to get the damn belt off.

And then he froze because just then he remembered there was a meeting at Swanson Architectural Company that he was supposed to go to. He supposed it was pretty important, and at this rate, he was going to be late.

Hewent back to work on the belt rather furiously.

_Dammit,_ he thought with a hint of despair, _they make it look so easy on TV._

Finally, after much biting, gnawing, and mental cursing, he got his left hand free. He sighed in relief. Now he was able to sit up fully and he quickly untied his right hand. He scrambled from his bed to look for something decent and not wrinkled to wear. His room was literally a pig-sty (so what if he had been lying to Annabeth a few days ago?) with food wrappers, clothes, and other junk lying around. He should seriously think about cleaning this up. It wouldn't be good if cockroaches started taking refuge in his room.

That thought alone was enough to make him shiver.

He quickly pulled his shirt off **(squeal!)** and put on a black shirt hanging on his bedpost. He rummaged around for his white button-down and thanked the Lord that it was actually hanging up in his closet. He then swiftly changed into a pair of trousers. He grabbed his bag and his jacket and rushed out of the room.

The clock in Conference Room B read eight forty. Everyone looked bored as they waited for Percy to arrive, even though he was supposed to be there ten minutes ago.

Poseidon was making a paper football, Mike was doodling, Mike's assistant was organizing Mike's day on his palm pilot, and everyone else was either sleeping or doing their own thing. Annabeth, however, was subconsciously tapping her foot against the floor. She was leaning back in her chair with her arms crossed, a triumphant smirk on her face.

"Maybe we should just get started…?" Poseidon suggested quietly.

"I agree!" Annabeth consented enthusiastically.

"Alright, then," Mike sighed. He stood up and started his presentation. "As you know, we're going to start—"

"I'm here!" Percy shouted, bursting through the door.

"So you are…" Mike said dryly. "You're late."

"Why were you late, Honey?" Annabeth asked with a sweetly innocent tone.

He glared at her. "Well, Darling, I was stuck in this grave situation, you see, and, well, _my hands were tied_," he said through clenched teeth, a fake and slightly sadistic grin on his face that. It was a grin that promised many embarrassing things to happen to Annabeth in the near future, and Annabeth couldn't help but shiver slightly.

_Wait a minute,_ one of the workers in the room thought. _Honey? Darling? They aren't…_

"Excuse me," the man spoke up, raising his hand like he was in second grade. "I'm confused…are you two, like…_dating?_"

Percy and Annabeth blinked. Crap. They forgot the office didn't know. Should they know? _Could_ they know?

"Er," Mike mumbled. "That was another thing we were going to talk about today. Might as well say it now…Percy and Annabeth are getting married."

It was pure silence. You could have heard a pin drop through the metaphorical crickets.

Finally someone spoke up. "Uh, congrats."

Then everyone else started congratulating them and soon they were all smiling and laughing. They clapped Percy on the back and gave Annabeth a hug.

Percy and Annabeth blinked, surprised. "Well," Annabeth said mildly. "I wasn't expecting that."

Percy scratched his head. "Yeah…" He then remembered the little stunt that had made him late. He moved in front of her and glared down at her through narrowed eyes. "What the hell is your problem?" he asked so only she could hear.

She blinked up at him. "What?"

"That little stunt you pulled on me…what the hell was it for?"

She narrowed her eyes. "_You're_ the one who got all 'touchy' on me last night. Literally."

Percy felt his face heat up at her words. 'Touchy?' What did that mean? They didn't actually…No, they couldn't have. He woke up with his clothes on. Besides, even if he _was_ drunk, he wouldn't have "done the deed" with her. It's not that he thought she wasn't attractive—quite the opposite, actually—but her personality contradicted her physical features.

Still…he had to be positive.

"Uh…touchy?" he asked, his voice cracking on the word.

Annabeth mentally smirk. Plan aside, she really wanted to mess with his head as revenge for last night.

She put on her best cute and innocent face. "Oh, don't you remember, Percy?"

Percy swallowed and pulled at his shirt nervously. "Uh…"

Annabeth brought her finger to her chin. She sighed dramatically. "I guess you wouldn't. You were pretty drunk last night."

Now Percy was freaking out. "What _exactly_ happened?"

"Well…" Annabeth started. It took everything she had to not burst out laughing. "You had your arms wrapped around me," she then moved to wrap her arms around his neck. She was sickened on the inside, but on the outside she was smirking. Percy was uncomfortable, and he was still freaking out.

Annabeth continued. "And you just _wouldn't let me go_. So I had to take _extreme_ measures."

Percy blinked rapidly. "T-there's no way that could have happened! I would have remembered!" he said surely.

Annabeth retracted her arms with a sigh. She then smiled wryly. "You're right."

Percy was confused now. "Now I'm lost…I'm right about what, exactly?"

She turned and said, "Nothing happened last night. You got really drunk and tried to hold me down so I tied your hands to the bed posts." She shrugged like it was nothing and then glanced over her shoulder with a devious look. "I just like messing with your head."

And then she chuckled, the whole exchange going unnoticed by everyone else. She went and sat back down in her seat.

Percy…well, Percy just stood there, staring at the devil that was his fiancée.

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**And that concludes chapter five! Next chapter is more of a filler, and then things after that get good :D**

**Thanks for reading! Review please! No flames!**

**-Akatsuki Child**


	6. Bathroom Incidents and Janitor Closets

**Hello everyone!...that intro was kind of gay...Anyways! I'm updating twice today, partly because this chapter is really short and partly because I'm going to Mexico this week so I won't be able to update next week. **

**As always, thank you to Stolen Silent Stars and Clara Fonteyn, the wonderful betas of mine!**

**Disclaimer: If I was Rick Riordan, would I be writing this story?**

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**Bathroom Incidents and Janitor Closets**

After the meeting—a meeting that Percy couldn't concentrate on due to _somebody_—Percy pulled Annabeth into the bathroom.

"Uh," Annabeth muttered. "Why'd you pull me into the men's bathroom?"

"We need to talk," Percy stated, still grasping onto her elbow.

"But in here?" she asked, shaking his hand off.

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Why does it matter?"

"I don't want to talk in a place where guys pee! Besides, what if someone walked in? What would they think?"

"The sooner we talk, the sooner you can leave."

Annabeth crossed her arms tersely. "Fine. What do you want?"

"You're up to something. I know you are. I'm on to you."

Annabeth stared at him. "…Is that all?"

Percy tilted his chin up defensively. "No. I also wanted to say that I can play dirty too. If it's embarrassment you want, it's embarrassment you'll get, _dear_. I can't deny you anything, right?"

Annabeth glowered at him. "Bring it on, Seaweed Brain."

"Oh, I will, Wise Girl. I will."

Annabeth huffed and turned around to strut dramatically out the door, but when she turned, there was a resounding _crack_, and Annabeth stumbled.

She looked down, shocked, to find her heel had broken off—snapped right off.

Percy pressed his lips together to stop from laughing. He knew women and shoes had a strange relationship and men would never understand it, but he did understand that he would be in some deep shit if he dared to say anything.

Instead, he just smiled and went to walk past her, but she pulled on his arm and hobbled to him to stand in front of him. "Not so fast. You had something to do with this, didn't you?"

Percy put his arms up. "I honest to God had nothing to do with this. There's no way I could have."

She narrowed her eyes. "Hmph. Be that as it may, you're buying me a new pair of shoes."

"What? Why?"

"Because you can't deny my _anything_. You said so yourself," she smirked and turned around, but Percy grabbed her shoulders and spun her around, completely forgetting she was unbalanced. She tripped on air as she spun around and crashed into Percy's chest. She yelped as Percy fell back, too, and the two went crashing onto the floor.

Percy groaned. "Ouch…"

Annabeth's faced was buried in his stomach, awfully close to his belt, but she didn't know that. She groaned too and used his thighs to lift her head up.

Just then, Mike and Poseidon came through the door, talking about something or other, but then they froze when they saw the predicament Percy and Annabeth were in.

Annabeth's and Percy's head snapped towards the two walking in, and they too froze in shock. The only sound or movement was from the bathroom door that was swinging shut.

"Um…" Annabeth started. "I can explain…?" It ended as a question though, because it was then that she realized this must have looked _really_ bad, and now rumors of them "doing it" in the bathroom were going to spread like wildfire.

"Uh, t-that's okay," Poseidon said hurriedly, ushering Mike out the door. "We'll just use the, uh, other one…"

When the door shut, Percy sighed and let his head fall back onto the floor. Annabeth scowled and got up, making sure to smack him on the stomach. "This is all your fault," she said and limped out the door.

Percy just glared at the ceiling before picking himself up. He exited the bathroom, and instead of going to his office, he took the elevator to the bottom floor. Once there, he ignored the greeting from the secretary and instead walked outside to the alley way, where he then proceeded to let his anger out.

"AGH!" he yelled, kicking a garbage can just for good measure. Once he was under control (or at least not screaming), he calmly walked back inside like nothing happened.

Annabeth was taking a paper to the copy machine when suddenly she was yanked to the side. She yelped and was about to scream, but a hand covered her mouth. She grabbed at the arm and tried to get away, but then a light turned on, practically blinding her.

"Shh!" she heard a familiar voice say that caused her to freeze. "It's me! Percy!"

She bit his hand and Percy yelped. "Ouch! You bit me!"

Annabeth's face contorted into one of disgust. "Yeah. Grossest thing I've ever done. Now what the hell are you doing?"

Percy sighed. "I need to talk to you again."

"In the janitor's closet?" Annabeth asked with a raised brow.

Percy's eyebrow twitched. "I don't want anyone hearing our conversation."

Annabeth sighed and rearranged herself so she was comfortable. "Okay. What is it _this_ time?"

"I think the whole building thinks we're actually in love. No doubt my dad has already spread the word about our little incident in the bathroom."

"Remind me to hit him the next time we see him…"

"Will do. Anyways, if we start acting normal—a.k.a. hating each other—they'll know something is up."

"So?"

"_Soooo_, if they find out my dad went and set this whole thing up because he could have lost his company, they could send him to jail, and then he _would_ lose his company and I wouldn't make money so I wouldn't have a place to live! I'd be a hobo!" Percy was hyperventilating now.

Annabeth hushed him. "Calm down! Your dad's not going to be sent to jail!"

"You don't know that!"

"Neither do you! You're worrying about nothing!"

Percy suddenly got serious. "Annabeth…please. Besides, if we don't make this look real, we can't help your dad's company."

Annabeth was slightly shocked by the sudden mood change. She was slightly touched, too, that he worried about her dad's company.

She sighed angrily. "Fine. But I'm not going to be happy about it."

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**Like I said, short chapter and rather uneventful. It was a filler chapter pretty much. **

**On the bright side, I started writing a couple new PJO fics. One is a Percabeth story (of course) but the other is an Annabeth x Nico fic. It's actually turning out pretty well. I'm excited to see what people think about it when it's all said and done. **

**Anyways, thanks for reading! Review please (no flames!)! **

**-Akatsuki Child**


	7. Arrested for Grocery Fights

**This is one of my favorite chapters :)**

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Me own PJO? Yeah right...I wish...**

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**Arrested for Grocery Fights**

A few days had passed and it was the weekend. Annabeth thought it couldn't have come fast enough, and Percy was just grateful to be away from the wench.

Percy had gotten up late on Saturday, groggy and hungry. He went to his cupboards and opened them, only to find that it was filled with a few cups of instant ramen and a few dust bunnies. He frowned and went to the pantry but only found sweets and stuff that would take _forever_ to make. He finally trudged to the refrigerator and yanked the door open. He found some week old yogurt, bad fruit, some beer, and a jug of milk. He pulled the milk out and opened it. He took a sniff and about collapsed from the horrid stench the carton was emitting. He coughed violently before going to the sink to empty its contents.

He was really grossed out when, after opening the cap and pouring it out, he found out it was slightly chunky and clumpy. He swallowed the lump in his throat and used water to help wash it down the drain.

He shivered from the traumatizing event and threw the now empty carton away. He sighed and slouched in the middle of his kitchen. He was in dire need of food.

_Looks like it's time to go grocery shopping…_Percy thought begrudgingly. He hated shopping with a passion. What did girls find so interesting about getting sore feet from walking around and being broke from buying so much stuff?

Percy went to his room and changed into some jeans and t-shirt. He slipped his shoes on, grabbed his wallet, and headed to the grocery store.

Meanwhile, Annabeth was having a crisis. She was going to be having a dinner party that night and she thought she had had everything she needed, but she found out she didn't have any more pasta for her Italian dish. Plus, she had run out of spices for her guacamole. She was freaking out, and so she decided she would have time to make a quick trip to the grocery store.

She rushed down to the nearest grocery store, which was just down her street. She had never been there before—she preferred the higher quality of her usual grocery store further uptown. Nevertheless, she hurried in, grabbed a cart, and started racing around looking for her ingredients.

Percy sighed as he grabbed an eight pack of Bud-Light beer. As he turned into the next aisle and grabbed a bag of chips, he heard the _painfully_ familiar sound of heels snapping against the tile. He looked up and saw that familiar blonde, wavy hair and, dare he think it, nice ass.

He smirked, and, using stealth like movements, snuck up behind her.

"Hi, Honey!" he exclaimed, causing her to jump. He just laughed as Annabeth turned around and punched him in the gut.

"What the hell are you doing here?" she asked incredulously. "Are you _stalking _me?"

"Pft," Percy replied. "Like I would waste my time stalking _you_."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means you're not worth stalking," he said in a tone that said '_duh'._

Annabeth growled. "I don't have time for this!" She stomped off.

Percy probably should have just let it go (in fact, it would have been better if he had just walked the other way), but he was having too much fun pushing her buttons. She was just so easy to get angry. Maybe that wasn't a good thing because he could potentially lose an arm…or worse…but he was really bored.

At least, he blamed his messing with her on boredom…

"What's the dealio, huh?" Percy asked. "What's the rush?"

"None of your business," Annabeth snapped looking through the shelves frantically. She _really _needed to get home and start cooking.

"Hey. We're getting married. It's my business to know what kind of stuff your doing."

"But we're not married yet, and like I keep saying, I hate you."

Percy glared at her. "Yeah, I know. You remind me every day."

"What? Do you want me to say I'm sorry? Well I can't, because my parents told me to never lie." Annabeth smirked.

"You are just _evil._"

She ignored him and continued looking for some pasta.

"Seriously, why are you in such a big rush?"

She sighed and stopped to tell him. "I'm having a dinner party and I don't have time to go to my usual grocery store, so I came here. I found out I didn't have some stuff to make my dishes."

Percy raised a brow. "You don't seem like the type of person to have dinner parties…"

"I'm not. It's all Thalia's fault. She and her boyfriend got engaged a while back and I said I'd throw a party for them, but then they started inviting more people, so now it's a dinner party."

"Who's Thalia?" Percy asked.

"My best friend."

"You have a friend?"

"Argh!" Annabeth exclaimed and pushed him _hard_. He lost his balance and fell over, his chips flying up and hitting a jar of tomato sauce. Percy fell into the same shelf and the jar jumped off the shelf and splattered on the floor with a resounding _crack_ that caused the whole store to quiet down.

Percy stared up at the smug Annabeth in shock.

_She just…pushed me into a shelf…of food…_

His eyes narrowed. He roughly stood up (his beer now safely on the floor) and grabbed the thing closest to him, which happened to be Saltine crackers. He ripped the box open and grabbed some crackers in his large hands, smashing them up. He then threw them at her, to which she screamed at.

"Dammit Percy!" she yelled. "Some went down my shirt!"

Percy froze, shocked she had actually said that.

By now, people had looked over in amazement to see what was going down in the pasta aisle.

Annabeth scowled and grabbed a box of spiral noodles and threw them at Percy before turning to get away.

"Oh no you don't!" he mumbled. He exited the aisle at the opposite end from Annabeth and went to the next aisle where she was halfway down. She skidded to a stop when she saw him. He grabbed a can of Coke that was fifty percent off, shook it up for a good five seconds, and then opened it and aimed it at Annabeth, who had tried to escape but failed. Her white shirt got covered in light brown spots.

Percy smirked, but then Annabeth grabbed a jar of peanut butter, stepped towards him, and smeared it all over him—in his shirt, his face, and even in his hair. She dropped the jar and ran away. Percy growled and ran after her, dodging foods and snacks that she threw at him. A few Doritos got stuck on him, and she even threw a piece of chewed hum back at him (gross!) that got stuck in his hair.

"My hair!" he yelled dramatically. "Annabeth!"

Annabeth was freaked out now. Who knew what Percy was like when he was super duper angry?

She shuddered and kept running, but then Percy tackled her to the ground and the two slid into a pyramid of soup cans.

Annabeth groaned. "My head…"

Suddenly, two cops came running around the corner along with the store owner. "You two!" The store owner shouted, pointing a finger at them. His face was red and pudgy, and his eyes were bloodshot. "Arrest these…these…_insolent_ children!"

"For your information, we're twenty-four…well, _I_ am. I don't know about him…" Annabeth said. "He acts more like a three year old."

Percy glared at her and rubbed some peanut butter on her cheek.

One of the cops just shook his head. "You two are coming down to the station with us."

The two cops handcuffed them and led them outside to a cop car. They shoved Percy and Annabeth roughly into the back and slammed the doors shut.

"I can't believe this," Annabeth mumbled as the car started and they pulled out of the parking lot. "This is your fault."

Percy clenched his jaw to keep from snapping at her. "How the _hell_ is it my fault?"

"You just couldn't leave me alone…" While Percy's eye twitched, she leaned forward. "Excuse me? Sir? Would it be possible to get a restraining order against my fiancé?"

The officer just glanced back at her like she was crazy. Maybe she was. Percy was definitely driving her crazy bananas.

Annabeth sat back and huffed. Then she groaned.

"_Now_ what?" Percy asked.

"My dinner party…it's ruined!"

"We're getting arrested for having a food fight and all you can worry about is your stupid dinner party?"

"Hey! It's for my friend!"

"Big deal!"

As the two continued fighting, the two officers shook their heads and smiled.

_Ah…_one of them thought, _young love…_

Annabeth and Percy were currently sitting on steel chairs in front of a table that was mounded into the floor. The room was brightly lit, and sitting in front of them was one of the officers who had picked them up.

"So," the officer started, sighing. "I have a good idea why you two started fighting, but for protocol's sake, explain to me why we had to intervene."

"Well," Annabeth started. "I was just minding my own business, doing my shopping, when this jerk scares me, so I left, but he followed me—"

"And we talked and she just pushed me out of nowhere and started throwing things at me," Percy interrupted.

"That's not what happened! He's lying!"

"Calm down!" The officer snapped. "Look, it's not like you guys are going to jail or anything. You'll be pressed with a felony and you'll need to call someone for bail. Simple as that. Now let's go."

He led them to a pay phone and said, "You get five minutes."

Annabeth sighed and leaned against the wall as Percy went to make his call. Right now, she should be making the food for her party. Instead she was here, with Percy, trying to get bail. Wow.

Why couldn't he just leave her alone? Granted, there run-in was completely by chance. She knew he wasn't stalking her. That would just be creepy and gross. But why couldn't he just have turned around and walked the other way? They wouldn't be in this mess then.

In truth, Annabeth didn't really hate Percy. He had his moments, however few they were. She just really disliked how he acted around her, always teasing her and whatnot. He acted really immature during those times and she swore to God she was going to kill herself if he acted that way throughout their marriage.

But on those rare occasions he was actually nice to her, she almost…liked him. He _could_ be a really decent guy, but he, unfortunately, chose not to…at least, not when he was around her.

Percy dialed his father's number. Probably not a smart choice, but who else would bail them out?

"Yello?" Poseidon answered his phone.

"Dad?" Percy asked. "It's Percy. Look, something happened…"

"Oh my GOD Annabeth's pregnant, isn't she?"

"What? NO!" Percy blushed. "Where did you get that idea?"

"Well, son, it was just your tone of voice. Anyways, what's the problem?"

Percy explained what had happened at the grocery store and how they were now at the police station.

"I swear, Percy…" His dad seemed genuinely upset about this. It was just…different. "Fine. I'm coming to get you guys."

"Thanks, Dad." But Poseidon had already hung up. Percy sighed and placed the phone back on the receiver. He then went over and stood by Annabeth to wait.

Percy felt awful. It actually was his fault they were here. He would never tell her that, but it was true. He felt guilty that he had ruined her day like this. That by itself was a weird thought. He was actually troubled that he had messed up her day: Something was wrong with him. Was he actually starting to care for her?

Nah. If that was true, they wouldn't be here.

He would have been guilty if he had messed up, say, his dad's day. It was no big deal.

Right?

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**Like I said in Chapter Six's author's note, I'm not going to update next week because I'll be in Mexico snorkling and eating spicy food :D**

**Thanks for reading! Review! Flames will be used in my fire pit to keep the bugs away!**

**-Akatsuki Child**


	8. Living in Hell Part One

**I'm back from Mexico! It was really fun, but by the end of the week I was starting to miss America. It was just a little overwhelming at times. But all in all, I had a good time, and I'd definitely go back :D **

**This is by far my favorite chapter (it's in two parts, which makes it even better!). **

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own PJO!**

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**Living in Hell (Part One)**

"Yeah, Thalia, I know. I'm sorry," Annabeth apologized, talking to Thalia on the phone. Two days had already passed since the whole "food fight" incident. Poseidon had come and bailed them out and he had been very upset. But then when Annabeth thought he was going to blow up, he actually turned to her with a grin and asked, "Did you get a good shot at him?"

Annabeth had smiled and pointed at the wad of gum still sticking in Percy's hair on top of his head. Poseidon had cracked up at that and had high fived her.

But then that left Annabeth with one more person to apologize to.

"I'm not mad that you didn't throw the party. In fact, I could care less. I'm just surprised you got arrested for _that_."

"Thanks, Thalia," Annabeth deadpanned. She sighed. "I don't know how long I can do this."

"Just hang in there. It's for your dad, right?"

"Right. Speaking of which, I should call him and see how he's doing."

"Well then I'll let you do that."

"Okay. I'll see you later."

"Bye."

Annabeth hung up the phone and leaned back in her chair in her office. Today was one of those now-rare days where she got to work in her old office.

She picked up the phone and dialed her dad's phone number. It rang for a long time before going to the answering machine. She tried again, but she still didn't get a hold of him.

_Strange,_ she thought. _He usually picks up. _

Right when she hung up the phone, there was a knock on her door. "Come in," she called.

Her secretary, Kate, walked in. "Miss Chase? Mr. Jackson is here to see you."

Annabeth's eyes narrowed. "Which Mr. Jackson?"

"Oh, er…both, actually."

Annabeth groaned. Just her luck. A double whammy.

"Fine," she mumbled, sounding like a dying animal. "Send them in."

Kate nodded and left, leaving Annabeth to damn her luck and any forces of nature that were working against her.

Poseidon walked in first with a mischievous grin on his face.

She did not like that grin one bit.

Then Percy walked in looking bored as hell.

When he glanced up and they made eye contact, they glared at each other before sitting down.

"So to what do I owe this…_pleasant_…visit?" Annabeth ground out between clenched teeth.

"Well, actually," Poseidon said, "there was something that I wanted to tell both you and Percy, so I, being the gentlemen that I am, thought that we would come to you."

"How kind," Annabeth muttered sarcastically.

"Anyways, I've decided that some punishment is in order for your little fiasco a couple days ago."

"_Punishment?_" Annabeth repeated incredulously. "You're not my dad."

"No, but I am your temporary boss." He then smiled. "However, I am _his_ dad so I have full rights to do this to him," he said, jabbing a thumb in Percy's direction.

"Dad," Percy started cautiously. "What are you talking about?"

That mischievous grin of his came back. "Well, I was thinking that as your punishment…you two will move in together!"

Silence.

The clock ticked and tocked on as one person waited for an answer while the other two were stunned into a pregnant silence.

"Move…in…together?" Annabeth whispered. "Have you lost your marbles?"

Poseidon raised his brow. "I think it's reasonable, considering what you two did. Having food fights in the middle of a grocery store…that's just going a little far, don't you think?"

"What I think is going a little far is making us live together!" Annabeth screeched.

"Hmmm…" he rubbed his chin. "What do you think, Percy?"

The two looked over to see Percy sitting in the chair, unmoving. His eyes were distant, and his face was contorted into one of horror.

"Percy?" Annabeth asked, slightly worried. She went and snapped her fingers in front of his face, but he didn't even blink. He actually appeared to be having a day dream of some sorts.

**In Percy's Head**

_Percy was sitting on the couch, watching a really good and funny TV show. Then all of a sudden…_

"_Percy!" Annabeth shouted from somewhere. "Turn that crap off!"_

"_What?" he yelled, pretending to not hear her. _

"_You heard me!"_

"_What?"_

_Then, all of a sudden, she burst in, took the control, and turned it off with an evil, totally-unreal laugh. _

"NO!" Percy suddenly shouted, standing up. "I can NOT live with this woman!"

Poseidon and Annabeth blinked from his sudden outburst. Annabeth then shook her head, turning her accusing gaze at Poseidon. "And I refuse to live with this idiot."

Percy glared at her.

Annabeth glared back.

Poseidon coughed uncomfortably. "Well that's too bad. My authority overrules your refusing."

"Oh I'll tell you where to stick your authority—" Annabeth threatened.

"You can't just make us move in together," Percy still protested, interrupting Annabeth.

"Sure I can," Poseidon smirked.

"What does that mean?" Percy asked.

"Well…let's just say that when you guys go home, you'll find it looking a little different…" He trailed off. "Anyways, I have to go. Places to go, people to see…I'll talk to you guys later."

Poseidon gave them one last smirk before leaving.

Percy would have gone too, but he was too shocked to do anything except fall back in the chair.

"This is bad…" he mumbled.

Annabeth went over and stood in front of the huge window that overlooked most of Manhattan. She wasn't sure what to make of the situation. She just wasn't sure what to do. No doubt Poseidon hadn't been kidding. But what did he mean by their homes would be different?

"So what do we do?" Percy asked.

"Well…" Annabeth started. "We're obviously not going to live together. There's no way. But if anything, I'm more concerned about what he said about our homes looking different…" She bit her lip.

Percy's shoulders slumped. He was depending on her smarts to get them out of this one, but now he was just disappointed. "I thought you were supposed to be really smart…" he muttered.

She glared at him. "I _am_ smart. In fact, we wouldn't be facing this problem right now if it wasn't for your stupidity."

"Do _not_ insult my intelligence!"

"Or lack thereof."

They glared hard at each other. If what Poseidon said was true, that they were going to be living together…well, tonight, he should probably sleep with one eye open and a weapon of some sort nearby.

Unbeknown to the two, Poseidon actually _was_ telling the truth. He had called the moving company and had Percy's stuff sent to Annabeth's house and now it was sitting inside her apartment. He would have moved Annabeth's stuff to Percy's condo, but knowing his son, it wouldn't have the necessities, like food (which also happened to be true).

Poseidon was fully aware that he would be more than in trouble, but it was all part of his and Mike's master plan.

"So did you tell them?" Mike Swanson asked as Poseidon entered his massive, way-to-big office.

"Yup," Poseidon replied. "They were not happy."

"Hmm…" Mike hummed.

"But what if this doesn't work? What if they just end up hating each other more?"

"Oh, it'll work. I can feel it."

A few hours later, Annabeth successfully avoided her _fiancé_ (she could barely think the word without using a cup full of disgust), her lame boss, and her immature, now hated, future father-in-law. She hailed a taxi and gratefully made it home to her apartment, completely forgetting about what Poseidon had said earlier.

She dug through her purse until she found her keys. She unlocked the door and tried to push it open, but she only got the door opened about a foot. Her brow furrowed and she pushed harder on the door. She heard something fall and heard a crash before the door swung open enough for her to slip in.

She then saw what was blocking her door. There were a bunch of boxes lying around her door, and a few had spilled open. She gaped at it all, wondering what it was, but then she spotted one box that had 'Percy's Stuff' written in big letters with black Sharpie.

She swallowed her disbelief when she realized that Poseidon had, indeed, been telling the truth.

On the other side of town, Percy stood in the middle of his _bare_ apartment, trying to grasp what was happening. His mouth closed and opened like a fish. He was trying to find how to express his feelings. Of course, that would help if he actually knew what he was feeling.

Shocked this was happening? Surprised his dad had been telling the truth? Angry that his dad was doing this to him? _Dreading living with Annabeth?_

He finally decided to not hurt himself mentally by slowly sitting down with his legs crossed. He helplessly stared at the white walls, the furniture-less living room, and the bare floor. What was he going to do?

_I'm sure as hell not going to Annabeth's apartment—Oh, wait, I mean _our_ apartment now…_

Percy huffed. He could handle sleeping on the floor. Er, at least, he thought he could. Even if he did, he wouldn't last forever. He'd eventually throw out his back, which was bad, considering he was only twenty-five. He'd eventually have to go to _their_ apartment.

He looked around his old condo once more, knowing that he wouldn't be able to stay.

He finally sighed and slowly got up. Taking one last glance around, he silently left through the door.

It was actually harder to leave his apartment than he thought it would be. He was oddly connected to his condo. He could live like a sloth, and his condo would just go with the flow and let him be. But with Annabeth, he wouldn't be able to get away with that. She would be on his ass in an instant.

But the one major thing that really got his goat was that he didn't even have time to think it through. Hell, he didn't even have a decision in this. In the morning, he woke up, took a shower, got dressed, and went to work. Then, when he came home, everything was gone. Percy felt out of control of his own life, and he didn't like it one bit.

So, with as much dignity as he could muster in five minutes, he went to Annabeth's apartment and knocked on her door. He heard the familiar click of heels and then the door was wrenched open.

"What?" Annabeth asked cuttingly.

Percy pursed his lips. "You have my stuff."

"Correction: your stuff was dumped into my apartment, courtesy of your father."

"Whatever. The point is, you have my stuff, and it will take me all night to move it back, and I'd rather not do that."

"Liar. You probably see this as a way to make a pass at me."

"You wish. Trust me, that's the last thing I want to do. I'm just really tired and I need somewhere to sleep. Plus, I think my dad has something else up his sleeve. He knows I would just move my stuff back. I think something else is going to happen."

Annabeth bit her lip. He did have a point, but did she really want to let this man sleep in her apartment? Well…no…but she couldn't just throw him out on the street either.

She sighed. "Three rules: one, you stay on the couch, and if you come anywhere near my room I will not hesitate to take you out. Two, you don't touch any of my stuff unless I give you permission. Three, if you _do_ happen to try to make a pass, I'll kick you out and sell all your stuff on e-Bay. Deal?"

Percy huffed, but said, "Deal."

Annabeth stepped aside and let him in. Percy slowly stepped inside. He was actually rather surprised that she had relented so easily.

"Nice place," he muttered, raising a brow at the high-standard décor.

"Yeah, well…you don't need a condo to look rich." Annabeth smirked.

He smirked back. "No, I suppose not."

Annabeth continued to smirk, but then it slowly fell. "What are we going to do, Percy?"

Percy was just pleased she had used his name, though he recalled he had asked her that earlier. "We wait."

She instantly lost all respect for him. "That's your brilliant plan?"

"Well think about it: we don't know what my dad is up to, we don't know if he has anything else planned, and I'm currently living with you."

She bit back a snide remark and instead said, "Okay, good point. But there has to be something else."

"Well _you_ can figure that out. Right now, I'm gonna get some shut eye."

And then right there, right in front of her eyes, he stripped down to his boxers and t-shirt.

"Gross," Annabeth muttered, blushing a bit. She abruptly threw a blanket—with lots of force, it might added—right at Percy's stomach and he caught it effortlessly.

"Thank you, m'dear," he smirked, settling on the black leather couch.

Annabeth yelled in frustration and slammed her door shut.

Percy laughed. It was so easy to get to her.

With a smile on his face, he fell asleep in a good mood…

…only to be woken up three hours later with a shrill scream.

His eyes snapped open. He scrambled off the couch, tripping over the coffee table, as he made his way to the screaming Annabeth. He wrenched the door open to find Annabeth standing on her bed wearing shorts and a t-shirt. Her eyes snapped over to him when he entered.

"Percy!" she yelled and leaped over to him. She grasped onto his arm in a death grip.

"What's going on?" Percy asked, alarmed.

"T-t-that!" she shrieked, pointing towards the corner of her room.

"Okay, first off, calm down. So tell me what's going on."

She took a deep breath. "In the corner…kill it!" was all she said as she pushed Percy towards the corner.

Percy's brow furrowed as he slowly walked over to the corner to see what he needed to kill.

When he looked it over, he almost didn't notice the black eight-legged creature sitting innocently on her wall.

A spider.

He blinked and wordlessly squished it between his thumb and forefinger.

He heard Annabeth give a sigh of relief. He looked back at her with a raised brow.

"You're scared of spiders?"

She crossed her arms and looked away. "So what if I am? You gonna tell me how much of a dork I am for being scared of something so stupid?"

Percy just shook his head. "Of course not." On the contrary, he found it very honorable that she had willingly admitted to having a fear. He didn't peg Annabeth as one of those people who would easily do that, so he considered himself lucky.

Annabeth didn't know what to say. Why wasn't he cracking jokes at her? It was just weird.

An awkward silence fell over them.

"Thanks," Annabeth mumbled, climbing back into bed.

"No problem," Percy said back, blushing a bit. "Night." He turned the lights off and was about to leave when she stopped him.

"Percy?"

"Yeah?"

"Make sure you wash your hands."

He blinked. "Right."

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**Ahh, the first signs of fluff. I love it. Part two will be next week!**

**I really liked the guys down in Mexico. They were funny and nice (though it was just because they wanted us to buy their stuff...). Their were some good looking ones though :D**

**...**

**REVIEW PLEASE!**

**-Akatsuki Child**


	9. Living in Hell Part Two

**I know I said I would update next week, but I couldn't resist. I really like this chapter. I pretty much love the whole dinner party chapters (8, 9, 10). **

**Is anyone else watching the World Cup? I am :D Let me know if you are and which team you're rooting for.**

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own PJO!**

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**Living in Hell (Part Two)**

The next day was a Saturday, so Annabeth and Percy found themselves sleeping in. Percy had woken up first at around ten, but he didn't know what to do, so he decided to just play it safe and he stared at the ceiling for half an hour.

At ten-thirty, Annabeth finally woke up. She trudged out to the living room, rubbing her eyes and yawning.

Upon seeing Percy sitting up staring at her, she scowled. "Oh man," she muttered disappointed. "I thought it had all been a nightmare."

Percy didn't say anything. He was still too tired. He wasn't a morning person, so if he said anything, he'd probably say something stupid and most likely get his ass kicked. He'd rather not have that.

Percy slowly stretched his arms, hearing the joints pop and crack. Annabeth wordlessly went to the kitchen and started scouring through cabinets. Percy slipped his shirt back on and followed her to her rather large kitchen with a granite island. Percy sat down and watched her bring out random ingredients.

"Did you secretly join the soup kitchen or something?" Percy asked sarcastically.

"No," Annabeth glared. "I'm having my dinner party tonight since _you_ got us arrested last week."

Percy's eye twitched. "I'm not even going to continue with that argument. Anyways, so you're going to start cooking _now?"_

"People are coming at five, Percy. It's going to take a while to cook everything. Oh, and you need to clean your stuff so it looks like we're happily engaged." And then she hurried off to some other part of the house.

"I don't know about the happy part…" Percy mumbled, going back to the living room. He sighed as he picked up his one box and looked in it. It was filled with his clothes, along with one other box. He pushed those to the side and went to the next box, which was filled with little stuff like the few pictures he had, his whopping three books, and his DVD's and CD's.

He smirked to himself as he placed a picture on the shelf above the TV. She did say to make it look like they had been living together for a while…or at least, she said something _similar _to that. That's the way Percy had taken it. He figured this was a small way to get her riled (he knew she would eventually see what he was doing), and he would enjoy the small triumph.

After placing his pictures in _proper_ places, he silently got up and made his way through the hall. Hugging the walls, he silently crept up and peeked inside her room.

Nothing.

He then crept up to the bathroom and leaned his ear against the door. He heard water running and he realized she was in the shower.

He smirked. _Perfect._

He hurried back into the living room and pushed his boxes of clothes and other stuff into Annabeth's room. Then, he began his destruction.

He started off by hanging his work clothes in the closet, but then he decided to go crazy and he scattered a few clothes on the ground.

Chuckling evilly to himself, he grabbed his CDs and cleared a space on the dresser for them. He put his deodorant on the night stand next to Annabeth's perfume and jewelry.

He stepped back and admired his work. He thought it looked very nice. It actually looked like he had been living in the room for years, not just five minutes.

He heard the water shut off and cursed to himself. He grabbed the now empty boxes and threw them by the front door. He grabbed his black bathroom towel from one of the boxes and rushed to stand outside the bathroom door.

Just as he caught his breath, Annabeth walked out with her hair wrapped in a white towel and herself wrapped in a bathrobe.

She stopped at the sight of him, taking in his wide eyes and slightly flushed face. She narrowed her eyes. "What are you doing?" she asked suspiciously.

He just raised a brow innocently and held up his towel. "I need to shower."

She didn't relent for five minutes. She stared at him hard, trying to see what he was really up to, but then she finally backed down and stepped around him into her room, shutting the door loudly.

_Well, _our_ room_, Percy thought, _but she doesn't know that yet._

Percy quickly stepped into the bathroom and locked it shut (when she realized what he had done, he didn't want her stomping in and drowning him). He then relaxed his tense muscles and turned the water up until it was blazing hot. He stripped down and stepped under the water.

He started lathering up his hair with shampoo. He rinsed and did the same with the conditioner. It was when he was scrubbing himself down with her jasmine scented soap that he heard her outrageous scream of, "PERCY!"

Part of him was scared, but the other part—the bigger part—was laughing it up like a smart-ass. The two balanced each other out and he ended up with a smirk on his face. He felt his insides freeze a bit, though, when he heard the door rattle, but then he relaxed when it stopped.

He purposely stayed in the shower for an extra ten minutes (partly because he wanted to make her livid and partly because he didn't want to die yet). However, he couldn't stay in there for long—he found himself becoming a prune, and he did not appreciate that.

He reluctantly and very slowly shut the water off and dried himself with his towel and wrapped it around his waist. He shook his shaggy wet hair and, with a nonchalant expression that just screamed 'cool,' he opened the door, steam pouring out around him. He looked down at the awaiting Annabeth, who held a red, angry face.

Annabeth's mind was a fuzz right now. She was so _angry_ with that stupid Percy! How _dare_ he just barge into _her_ room thinking he could make it _their _room?

When Percy _finally_ stepped out of the bathroom, she wasn't sure whether to throttle him or slap the stupid smirk off his face.

"I specifically told you to stay out of my room!" she yelled. "It was one of the rules!"

Percy merely adjusted the towel on his hips. Annabeth glanced down, saw he was only wearing a towel, and blushed. She crossed her arms and glared harshly at him.

"Well," Percy started, meeting her gaze coolly. "You did say to make it look like we had been living together for quite some time…"

She felt her jaw clench. Dammit, she did kind of say that.

Man did she hate logic being used against her...

"Whatever. I can't deal with you right now." She waved her hands at him and rushed back into _her_ room. Percy followed her silently and watched as she pulled together an outfit from the closet. She laid it out on the bed.

"I need to get cooking," she said. "You need to get the rest of your stuff cleaned up, but if you touch this dress,"—she pointed to the dress—"I will not hesitate to castrate you."

Percy swallowed. He took those kinds of threats seriously.

He saluted her. "Yes, Ma'am."

She rolled her eyes. "Oh, and you need to wear something nice. I presume you have dress clothes?" she asked sarcastically, raising a brow.

"Have I been dressing like a hobo at work?" he shot back.

She wrinkled her nose. "No, as far as you're concerned." And then she left, slamming the door shut.

Percy groaned and flopped on the bed, being wary of the dress, of course.

Thinking about it, he really wished he had refused his dad's offer a few weeks ago. He wished he had said, "That's what you get for betting your company," and then left to become a hobo. Being a hobo would have been way better than going through this hell.

Annabeth had to force Percy out of her head. She needed to start cooking.

Personally, she didn't care to host a dinner party. In all actuality, she wasn't one for dinner parties. She wasn't the socialite that wanted everyone to like her. She was only doing this for Thalia and Luke since she had run into some problems last week.

In fact, the only reason she would host a dinner party is she loved to cook. Sometimes things didn't turn out right, but she usually was able to make some pretty good food.

She started off with getting her pork in the oven so it would be ready by the time people started coming over. Then, she moved on to the dessert—lemon cheesecake. It would have to sit in the fridge for awhile, so once she was done with the pork, she immediately started mixing the cake batter.

She heard the bedroom door open and close quietly and she heard Percy shuffle into the room and sit down on the stool across from her.

"So what are you making, anyways?" he asked, sticking his finger in the batter and eating it.

Annabeth slapped his hand hard and he glared at her.

"I'm making pork, potatoes, some shrimp, salad, cheesecake, corn, rice..."

Percy blinked. "That's a lot."

"Well it's a dinner party."

Percy rolled his eyes. "Well whatever you do, don't make spicy food."

"Why?"

"I hate spicy food. It gives me really bad stomach aches. You should keep that in mind for when we're married and you have to cook for me."

"Right…"

" Anyways, do you need help?"

She raised a brow and gave him a patronizing look. "Don't you have some cleaning to do?"

He pursed his lips and got up. As he walked to the living room, he called in a sing-song voice, "I try to help you. I try to be a better person, and yet you just shove me away. I don't think people will call that a happy marriage."

Annabeth ignored him and continued working. She poured the batter on the graham cracker crust and placed it in the fridge. She decided to work on the shrimp next. She pulled a big bag of them out of the freezer and stuck them in a big bowl. She filled it up with cold water and let them sit in the sink to thaw out.

She then decided to go set up the table.

"Percy!" she called, walking towards the dining room. "I need your help!"

"You didn't want it before! Why should I help now?" he called back.

She huffed. "Percy, I'm serious. Come help me!"

"No!"

"Dammit, Percy! Stop acting like a three year old!"

"Ask me nicely and maybe I'll help you!"

Annabeth pinched the bridge of her nose. In the next five minutes, she was going to lose a lot of her dignity.

"Percy, will you please come help me?" she asked in a calmer voice.

There was a shuffle and Percy finally came out of the bathroom wearing jeans and brown button down shirt with his sleeves rolled up. "I'd _love_ to help you, _dear,_" he replied with a mocking smile.

She resisted the urge to punch him and through clenched teeth said, "I need you to help me push the tables together."

She pointed towards the square table that needed to be connected with the main table. The two pushed the table—which actually took some effort—against the other one and sighed. "Thank you. You just saved me a lot of time."

"Glad I could help," he said and swaggered off to continue putting his stuff away.

Annabeth watched him walk away. He was different. In some ways, he had changed a lot since she first met him.

She shook her head and got up to continue cooking when the phone rang.

"Hello?" she answered.

"Hey, Annabeth. It's Thalia."

"Hey! What are you doing?"

"I just wanted to see how everything was going. Did you want me to come and help?"

"Umm, actually…" Annabeth explained how Percy had "moved in."

"Oh, man. Ouch. I think that's a little harsh."

Annabeth sighed. "You have no idea. He's driving me nuts."

Suddenly, she heard a crash.

"Is everything okay—"

"I'll have to call you back, Thalia."

Annabeth hung up the phone. With deadly intent, she stomped to the bathroom, thinking he was still in there. She wrenched the door open, but found a Percy-less bathroom.

Starting to get suspicious, she went into her room and opened the door. The only thing she found was her dress lying on the bed.

Now she had a bad feeling, one that started in her gut and grew to her chest, spreading throughout her whole body. She went to the only other place that he could be: her study.

She slowly opened the door, afraid of what she might find.

She found her charming fiancé standing over a broken vase that he had accidentally bumped off the shelf.

Annabeth struggled to not scream.

"Ah!" Percy yelped as he turned to leave, only to be met with the fury that was Annabeth.

"Percy," Annabeth started, her voice dangerous, "when do you _not_ cause trouble?"

"Um," Percy swallowed, "never…?"

"Just. Get. Out."

"Yup, yup."

Percy hurried out and Annabeth took one last look at the mess and sighed angrily. She shut the door and went after him.

"What the hell were you doing in there?"

"I was curious."

"Well I don't really appreciate you going in there without my permission."

"Why?"

She remained silent. "It's personal," she finally muttered.

Percy stared at her. He didn't miss the way she refused to look at him. He saw the way she suddenly became bitter. He realized how she had become so quiet.

"You need to leave," Annabeth spoke quietly. "I don't need you making more messes for me to clean up. Just go somewhere for a few hours."

She turned away and disappeared in the kitchen. Percy sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. Things were getting tense; maybe it _was_ better that he left.

He didn't say anything as he quietly left the apartment. Meanwhile, Annabeth fought back the sudden angry tears that wanted to fall as she made her salad.

When Percy left, he knew something was wrong, but he didn't want to push her. It wasn't his place to do so anyways. If anything, she needed this time to herself. Plus—and he would never admit this out loud—he did feel a little guilty about going into her study and doing all that stuff to make her angry. Just a little, though.

So, with that, Percy decided to go have a little chat with his dad.

He went to his dad's house—more like mansion—and rang the doorbell. After a few minutes, Poseidon opened the door.

"Ah, Percy! Come in, my boy!"

Percy stepped inside and Poseidon grinned at his son. Percy glared at him in return, and his grin dropped. "What?" Poseidon asked innocently.

"You know what," Percy replied harshly. "I really don't appreciate you taking all of my stuff and dumping it at Annabeth's apartment."

"But you don't mind living with Annabeth?"

Percy stopped. He wasn't prepared for that answer. "What?"

"So you're just concerned with your stuff being taken?"

"Well…yeah…but—"

"Well I just thought that you were here to complain about living with Annabeth, but seeing as you didn't bring it up, I think you actually like it."

Percy felt his ears get hot. "I could never like living with her."

"Then why are you living there?"

"One, I have nowhere else to go, and two, you have something else up your sleeve."

Poseidon smirked. "You know me well."

Percy rolled his eyes. "So what's this other thing that's coming?"

"Well, to make sure that you couldn't leave, I sold your condo and made sure you couldn't find another one somewhere in the city."

Percy froze. "You sold my condo?"

"Yup."

"I loved that condo!"

"Son, it's a _condo_."

Percy glared. "Right now, I don't like you." He turned and left, and Poseidon just chuckled.

"You'll thank me later…"

So, having nowhere else to go, Percy now found himself going back to Annabeth's apartment.

He stepped inside and sniffed.

_Smells good…_ he thought. He walked into the kitchen and found Annabeth stirring something in a pan on the stove.

"Percy, I need you to tidy up the living room and the bathroom. Then I need you to come help me peel potatoes."

Percy just sighed to himself and went to work. The way he saw it, if he was nice enough now, he could tease her during the dinner party.

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**So what did you think? Hope you liked it.**

**Hey, I wrote a story recently called Annabeth in Wonderland (PJO version of Alice in Wonderland) and I'm asking you guys to go check it out. I worked really hard on it and I want to know what you guys think about it. I'd really appreciate it. **

**Thanks for reading and review please! :D**

**-Akatsuki Child**


	10. The Dinner Party

**I never really express how much I love my readers and reviewers, so today is one of those rare days where I give a shout out to those who read my stories, and an even bigger shout out to those who review! I love you guys so much!**

**Thanks, as always, to the lovely Stolen Silent Stars and the lovely Clara Fonteyn for beta-ing!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own! So don't sue! :D**

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**The Dinner Party**

Percy stared at his hair in the bathroom, remembering Annabeth's orders.

"_Percy, please, please, PLEASE try to fix your hair."_

"_What's wrong with my hair?"_

"_It's all…shaggy and…messy…"_

"_I still don't see the problem."_

_She sighed. "Okay, can you try to _tame_ it?"_

_Percy wrinkled his nose. "I'm not making any promises."_

And so, he found himself combing his hair, trying to calm it down.

_If I listen to her now, I can tease her later…_

It was a mantra in his head that kept him from completely ripping his hair out. He even went as low as to using her hairspray. He thought he could kind of mat it into place, but then it just poofed back out and actually backfired.

Percy growled and ran his hands through his hair. He messed it up even worse, and then flattened it down with his palms. It looked a little better, but you could definitely tell he had had a war with it recently.

He stepped outside and found Annabeth finishing putting a plate on the table. She turned to run down the hall, but then she stopped.

"Really, Percy? That's the best you could do?"

"Don't pester me, woman. My hair is a separate entity; I have no control over it."

"Well at least you're using bigger words."

Percy realized that ninety percent of the time she got the last word, and he died a little inside.

He went into the kitchen and looked at all the food that was still cooking. He was tempted to do something subtle, like mess with the heat so it was overcooked, but he told himself to wait. He could embarrass her later tonight.

He heard heels clicking and he looked over to see Annabeth hurrying to the dining room to fix last minute things.

For the first time since he met her, he was stunned by how beautiful she actually was. He had always been vaguely aware of her physical appearance, but something about her now stood out, like a rainbow in the gray, cloudy sky. He wasn't sure if it was the way her hair was naturally wavy and her face seemed to glow, or if it was the black dress that hugged her body and black high heels that made her legs look amazing.

Either way, it was the first time since being "engaged" to her that he felt his heart skip a couple beats.

A knock on the door was what brought him out of his "ludicrous" thoughts.

_I can now officially start teasing her._ Percy smiled in anticipation.

Annabeth walked over and opened it to find Thalia and Luke.

"Hey guys," Annabeth grinned, letting them in.

"Hey, Annabeth," Thalia greeted.

"Hi," Luke said.

"It smells good in here," Thalia commented.

Annabeth smiled. "It should be done in a little bit." She then sighed to herself, but put on a small—forced—smile. "So this is Percy." She waved her arms at him, and Percy raised a brow at her rather odd introduction.

He smiled slightly. "Hey." He shook hands with Luke, who was only an inch taller than himself.

Thalia just smiled slightly. "She told us about the whole thing with your dad."

Percy blinked. "Oh."

Awkward silence.

"How about that meal?" Luke asked, breaking the silence.

"Yeah, what are you making, Annabeth?" Thalia asked.

"Well…" And she led them to the kitchen while Percy stayed behind.

Why had she told them? They were supposed to make it seem like they were happily married. They weren't supposed to tell anyone the truth.

It just gave him all the more reason to pick on her tonight.

There was a knock on the door again, and Percy opened it to find his dad and Mike.

"Dad," Percy sighed. "Mike."

"Hello again, son."

"Hello Percy."

"I didn't know you guys were invited," Percy commented.

"I call that bad communication skills between you and Annabeth," Poseidon said rather cheerily. He then strutted into the house with Mike following him. Percy sighed and followed them into the kitchen.

"So who are we still waiting for?" Thalia asked.

"Beckendorf, Connor, Travis, and Nico." Annabeth blushed at the last name.

"You invited Nico?" Thalia asked.

"Um…yeah…"

"Who's Nico?" Percy asked.

"Annabeth's past crush."

"Shut up!" Annabeth blushed.

"Or should I say current...?" Thalia trailed off, raising a brow.

Percy felt a little jealously rise up, but he squashed it back down. "So we'll have to keep up appearances in front of them, or did you tell them, too?" He directed his question to Annabeth.

"We'll have to keep appearances," Annabeth replied, glaring at both Thalia and Percy.

"Annabeth!" Poseidon gasped. "You invited Nico when you're engaged?"

"Wait a minute," Percy said. "_You _know Nico?"

"Of course. He's the son of one of my buddies."

Percy blinked.

Annabeth tried to keep her blush down.

Thalia cracked up.

Luke fought a smile.

Mike was lost.

There was another knock at the door, and Annabeth spared herself and opened it to find Travis and Connor Stoll.

"Hey, Annabeth!" Connor yelled, giving her a bear hug.

"Hey, little sis!" Travis called, coming through the door.

"Little sis…?" Percy mumbled confused.

"They're not really siblings," Luke answered. "But Travis and Connor like to think so."

"Which one is which?"

"Travis is a little taller than Connor."

"Hey, guys," Annabeth mumbled.

_I really regret inviting them…_she thought. She led them to the kitchen. "This is Percy. Percy, this is Connor and Travis Stoll."

Connor and Travis, the devils they are, exchanged a sly glance along with a smirk.

"Sup?" they said at the same time. It was like they could read each other's thoughts, and it was creepy.

Percy noticed the mischievous aura they held and realized that he could be going through some serious trauma tonight.

_Maybe I can work this to my advantage…_

A few minutes later, Beckendorf came with Nico.

And, well…Percy thought he looked like a punk. Nico was a good head shorter than Percy, and he was lanky with pitch black hair and pale skin. He looked like a vampire, for Christ's sake! How could Annabeth fall for him?

"So you're Percy…" Nico mumbled.

"You've heard of me?" Percy asked.

"Annabeth mentioned you."

"Hmm…"

The "party" was now drinking some champagne in the living room while the pork finished cooking. Percy had to force his arm to stay around Annabeth's shoulders, and he could tell Annabeth wanted to jump into a shower and wash away all the "Percy germs." But they had to keep up a front, as much as they hated it.

"How long did you guys date before getting engaged?"

"—A year—"

"—Three years—"

Annabeth and Percy proclaimed at the same time, causing a few confused looks.

"Er, it just feels like three years…" Annabeth relented.

They could tell Nico wasn't buying it, but he nodded anyways. It was actually a pretty hilarious situation, because the two had only known each other for about a month.

"Hey, Percy," Travis called. "Who's this girl with you?"

Percy hid a smile. He had wanted someone to ask that.

_Now to see if Annabeth gets jealous._

"What picture?" Annabeth asked. Travis pointed towards the photo of Percy with a blonde girl.

When Annabeth saw it, she wanted to rip Percy's head off. She knew he did this on purpose. She could just feel it.

Still, that didn't change the fact that it made her mad, and maybe even jealous.

"That's my cousin Silena." Percy grinned.

"She's really pretty," Beckendorf commented. Percy liked Beckendorf. He was like a big brother—one that would beat up the boyfriend of his younger sister.

"Yeah, she's really nice and funny," Percy said, dipping a shrimp in some cocktail sauce and eating it.

He could feel Annabeth, who had her arm around his waist, digging her nails into his side and he winced and squished her to his side.

"I'm going to go check on the food," Annabeth announced and shoved Percy to the side.

"I'll go help her," Thalia said. She gave Luke a quick kiss and then followed Annabeth.

Percy was stuck with the guys now. He was at a disadvantage since they were all Annabeth's friends, but he found it as a way to get some teasing in while she was gone.

"Isn't she just a worker?" Percy commented a bit sarcastically. "She always wants everything to be perfect."

"Well it is Annabeth," Connor smirked, eating some shrimp and a cracker. "She's not satisfied until it's absolutely perfect."

"Trust me, I know. One time at work, she made me redo a paper five times."

"You're kidding!"

"I wish I was."

Percy had to tighten his abs to keep from laughing (just for the record, he has a six pack). This was just too easy.

"It's done!" Annabeth called. Everyone piled into the dining room and sat down. Thalia and Annabeth brought out three big bowls of salad and placed them on the table.

Percy sat at one end of the table and Annabeth sat at the other. As everyone piled salad onto their plates, Percy asked,

"So where do you guys work?"

"Well, we work for a postal unit downtown with our dad," Travis answered for him and his brother.

"I'm a mechanic," Beckendorf said.

"I work for my dad at a—"

"That's cool." Percy cut Nico off.

"Where do _you_ work?" Nico glared.

"I'm the CEO of my dad's company here," Percy gloated, smirking at Nico.

"So just following in Daddy's footsteps?"

Percy glared. "I make my own footsteps."

"And you're marrying the daughter of a guy you work with…hmm…sounds a little suspicious if you ask me…"

Percy tensed a bit, and Annabeth hesitated in her chewing. Luke and Thalia were the only ones able to recognize the tense silence over Mike, Poseidon, Annabeth, and Percy.

"Uh, how about the next dish?" Mike suggested, Poseidon nodding enthusiastically.

"Right…" Annabeth mumbled. Percy got up and followed her into the kitchen.

"That was close," he muttered.

"No kidding," Annabeth mumbled, pulling the pork out of the oven. "You take the corn and rice and then come back for the potatoes," Annabeth said.

Percy complied and came back for the potatoes, following her into the dining room.

"Careful, everyone," he said. "She has a knife."

Annabeth glared slightly at him, and he just grinned.

She cut everyone a piece of pork and everyone piled rice, corn, and potatoes onto their plates. It was more like a dinner between friends and family than it was a dinner party.

"This looks delicious, dear," Percy said, smirking.

"Why thanks, honey," Annabeth replied back snarkily.

Thalia smiled as she took a sip of champagne, realizing what they were doing.

"It's very good, Annabeth," Nico smiled, causing her to blush. Percy gripped his fork a little too tightly and it got bent slightly. He glanced around and realized that, fortunately, no one had noticed.

"Thanks, Nico."

"Hey, cupcake," Percy gagged at the nickname, but it made her glare at him, meaning she was embarrassed. "Don't you have a seasoning for this?"

Annabeth was about to tell him off, but then she remembered a seasoning she had used a couple days ago.

A _spicy_ seasoning.

She smiled sweetly at him, and Percy did not like it one bit. "Yes, sweetie, I do, actually."

She got up and went to the kitchen, smirking evilly to herself.

"Is it just me, or is anyone else getting sick from the names of endearment?" Travis mumbled.

Luke chuckled just as Annabeth came back out. She slammed it down in front of Percy, and she almost laughed at the surprised look on his face.

"Anything else I can get you, dear?"

He forced a grin on his face. "Nope. Thanks, sweetheart."

He shook some seasoning onto his pork and offered it to anyone. "I'll take some," Nico spoke up.

"What was that Dad? You want some? Here you go," Percy said, ignoring Nico (again).

Nico clenched his teeth together. "Jerk," he muttered underneath his breath.

Percy just smirked and ate a piece of his pork. It was really good—surprisingly so. It practically melted in his mouth. He took another bite.

"Everyone likes it?" Annabeth asked.

"Of course."

"Absolutely!"

"It's very good."

She smiled and ate some of her rice, watching Percy out of the corner of her eye.

It was through his fifth bite that Percy realized something was wrong. He felt his stomach churning and he was starting to feel sick.

"You okay, Percy?" Annabeth asked. He could hear the smirk in her voice despite her innocent look, and he glared at her slightly, wondering what the hell she did. "You're looking kind of pale."

"I'm not feeling too good," he replied. "I'm going to get a glass of water."

After rummaging through her cupboards for a cup, Percy filled it up with ice cold water and gulped it down. He leaned against the counter and winced at how bad his stomach was hurting. He only got stomach aches like this when he ate something spicy…

And then it hit Percy like a ton of bricks.

The seasoning. She must have put something in the seasoning.

Damn, she was good. But he wouldn't relent that easily.

He walked back into the dining room and sat down.

"Better?" Thalia asked.

"Yup. Just needed some water."

"Well good for you," Nico said sarcastically.

Poseidon sighed to himself and Mike shoved some food into his mouth. "Here we go again…" he mumbled.

"Thank you." Percy glared, unfazed.

"Didn't you mention a cheesecake earlier?" Thalia asked Annabeth weakly.

"Cheesecake!" Connor and Travis cheered.

"I don't know if I can eat more…" Beckendorf groaned.

"Find room!" Annabeth called.

Percy shifted uncomfortably, his stomach still hurting. He really just wanted to crawl into a hole and die…

"You sure you're okay, Percy?" Thalia asked, her mother-like concern starting to show.

"Positive."

Annabeth came back with the cheesecake and gave everyone a slice. "I saved the biggest piece for you, Percy." Annabeth smirked.

Percy felt his eye begin to twitch as he smiled slightly. "Thanks, hon."

Then, being a man, Percy took his fork and began his painful journey of devouring the cheesecake.

"Oh my GOD this is good," Thalia groaned.

"It's alright," Percy mumbled.

"You don't like cheesecake?"

"I love cheesecake."

"He just doesn't love _my_ cheesecake," Annabeth said.

"_I_ love your cheesecake, Annabeth." Nico announced.

She blushed a little, but then Percy, through clenched teeth, said, "No one asked you, Nico."

"What is your problem?"

"Right now, you're my problem! Stop flirting with Annabeth!"

"You stop flirting with her!"

"_She's my fiancée, you dunce!" _

And then, though no one knows who did it—Annabeth and Percy were fairly suspicious of Connor— someone flicked a piece—'piece' being one the size of a walnut—at Nico.

Percy couldn't help it. It was rather funny to see a big white creamy blob sticking to Nico's face. He burst out laughing while everyone was shocked.

"So you think it's funny?" Nico asked. He glared and grabbed his cake and smashed it on Percy's head.

"Guys!" Annabeth shouted.

"That's it!" Percy yelled. He tackled Nico to the ground and began throwing punches at him. Nico shoved him off and punched him in the forehead. Percy kicked him in the gut, and then he felt himself being held back by someone while Nico got held back by Beckendorf.

"Nico!" Annabeth yelled. "Get out!"

"What?" he asked, incredulous. "But _he_ punched _me!_"

"Just get out!"

Nico shoved Beckendorf off and straightened his jacket. "Whatever. I'm gone. See if I care."

And he left, slamming the door. Annabeth winced slightly. "Sorry about that, guys."

"Don't worry about it," Mike said. "But, uh, I think we're going to go so you guys can…sort this out. It was a good dinner and we'll see you later." He patted her shoulder and Poseidon gave her a smile.

"We're leaving, too," the Stoll brothers said, giving Annabeth a hug. Beckendorf gave Annabeth a hug as well and left with the two brothers.

"We'll clean this up while you guys, uh…talk…" Thalia mumbled, pulling Luke to the table, piling dishes into his arms.

Annabeth glared at Percy, who looked down. He felt guilty now, and he hated feeling guilty, especially when it was because he had made Annabeth upset. Wasn't that what he had been trying to do in the first place?

He watched as she went to the kitchen for a minute and then came back with an ice-pack. She pushed him down into a chair and then held his head as she put it gently on his forehead, where he was already starting to form a bruise.

Percy winced at the cold, but then sighed as the relief washed through him.

"Thanks," he mumbled. Annabeth didn't say anything. She was giving him the cold shoulder.

Percy would be a fool to think she wasn't mad. But why wasn't she yelling at him? It was strange.

Percy mentally sighed. He knew what she was waiting for.

"I'm sorry," he said, his face getting hot.

"For?"

"For…for attacking Nico."

Annabeth smiled. "Apology accepted. Just don't do it again. I won't be as forgiving."

"You mean you won't give me an ice pack?" he asked, smiling up at her.

She smirked. "Nope. I'll let you get a big bruise on your stupid forehead."

"My forehead is _not_ stupid," he said, pouting slightly.

"It is, Seaweed Brain. Trust me."

Percy huffed and crossed his arms. Annabeth just continued to smile as she healed her fiancé.

No one ever found out who flicked the cheesecake, but more importantly, no one ever found out why Annabeth had thrown out Nico if she had a crush on him. No one understood why she hadn't yelled at Percy, why she had only yelled at Nico. The only one who would know that would be Annabeth.

Was it because she knew that if she kicked him out, he wouldn't have anywhere to go?

Or was it deeper than that?

Only Annabeth knew.

* * *

**Now don't get me wrong. I love Nico. He's one of my favorite characters. He's just not the good guy in this case.**

**This officially marks the HALF WAY point of the story! NO! :(**

**Thanks for reading and review please! No flames! :D**

**-Akatsuki Child**


	11. Gone Too Far

**Hey guys! Thanks to all my reviewers and readers! Good news! My soccer team went to play in a tournament, and we made it to the championship! We got second, but we only lost by one point :( Oh well, I'm still happy with how it turned out. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own PJO!**

**

* * *

**

**Gone Too Far**

A few days passed since the dinner party. It was now Thursday, and things had gone back to the way they were. Percy and Annabeth fought like cats and dogs, Mike and Poseidon only worried slightly about that, and the rest of the office was still completely oblivious to everything going on between the four.

For some reason, though, things weren't that bad today. Percy and Annabeth were actually acting civil around each other. It was rather odd, and people were pretty surprised. They knew that the two fought a lot, but they just blamed that on "wedding stress."

So today people took relief in their temporary truce, because the two still loved each other, right? And that's all that mattered.

They couldn't be farther from the truth.

In all actuality, even Percy and Annabeth didn't know why they weren't fighting as much. Even if they did have a little spur, it only lasted for a few minutes, and it was only meaningless comebacks.

Was it the bright, sunny, warm weather getting to them? Or was it just because it was Thursday and they were too tired to even care?

Or was it the slight awkwardness that now hung above their heads?

That night of the dinner party, when Annabeth had stopped pressing the ice pack to his head, things had become awkward because they had had a "moment," and they just didn't have moments. They had actually been nice to each other, and that was the Apocalypse right there.

They just weren't used to treating each other nicely, and they weren't sure whether that was a good thing or a bad thing.

Percy sighed as he laid on the couch in the massive office he and Annabeth worked in. He had a terrible headache right now. Annabeth was sitting at the desk doing her architect thing.

"What's with the sighing?" she asked.

"Wouldn't you like to know…" Percy shot back.

"Yes, actually," Annabeth glared.

"Well it doesn't concern you."

Annabeth glared at him more fiercely, but then she stopped and continued to work. Why should she care about him, anyways? She hated him.

Percy groaned and slowly sat up. He stretched and stood up. He straightened his tie and walked out the door without saying anything. Annabeth sighed and turned in her chair to look out over the city, wondering just what his problem was.

Percy took a deep breath as he made his way to the worker's lounge. There was a fresh jug of cold water, and he gratefully filled a cup and gulped it down with some aspirin. He found himself getting headaches more frequently this week. He wasn't sure why. Maybe the stress was getting to him.

"Hello Percy," Mike greeted, stepping into the room. "How are you?"

"I've been better," Percy grumbled.

"That's too bad."

"What are you doing?"

"Avoiding and ignoring your father."

Percy rolled his eyes. "What did he do now?"

"Umm…well…"

Percy narrowed his eyes. "What?"

"He may or may not have planned an engagement party for you and Annabeth at the office here…"

"Where is he now?"

"Not sure."

"I'm going to go find him. Bye."

Percy felt the anger building inside of him. He really needed to find a shock collar for his dad. Whenever he did or said something stupid, it would shock him.

"Have you seen my dad?" Percy asked Poseidon's secretary.

"Sorry, Percy," she smiled. "I haven't seen him since this morning."

Percy huffed. "Well if you do see him, let me know."

"Alright."

Percy then went back to the office, only to find Annabeth glaring down at his father.

"Did you hear about this?" Annabeth asked Percy.

"The party?" Percy replied. "Yeah, I found out from Mike."

"Poseidon, you need to stop doing this. We don't need to keep getting people involved with this."

"My son will only get married once."

Percy and Annabeth exchanged a glance. "Umm…right…I highly doubt this marriage will last forever."

"Oh I don't know about that."

Percy sighed. "Dad, please. Just stop throwing parties and stuff."

"Just do this party and I promise to not do anything else."

"Fine."

Annabeth pinched the bridge of her nose. "So when is this party?"

"Tomorrow night at seven. It'll be here at the office."

The next day, when work got done, Percy and Annabeth went back to the apartment. They climbed out of the taxi and dragged their feet as they climbed the stairs to the apartment. Once inside, they crashed on the couch.

"It's been a long week," Annabeth mumbled, kicking her heels off.

"No kidding," Percy muttered back, propping his feet up on the coffee table. "I don't want to go to this party. I'm sick of my dad doing stuff behind our backs."

"Me too."

The two remained silent. Percy felt his eyes starting to droop, and he glanced over to see Annabeth already asleep. He sighed. Would a little nap hurt?

_Percy was sitting on a beach. The sun was soaking him and warming him up. He had on his favorite black shades, but he lifted them up to stare down at the woman that was leaning against him. Her skin was slightly tan and her hair was up in a pony. _

_He smiled and leaned down to kiss her shoulder. She turned her head to the side to reveal a grinning Annabeth. She turned her body and wrapped her arms around him, planting a kiss on his lips. _

"Gah!" Percy gasped, sitting up. Breathing heavily, he tried to gather his bearings. He was still sitting on the couch. He glanced over and saw Annabeth curled up in a ball on her side, steering clear of him.

Percy looked at the clock and saw it was almost seven.

_Crap,_ he thought, _the party. _

He got up and went over to Annabeth. He shook her shoulder. "Annabeth, wake up."

She groaned and shifted around a bit.

"Annabeth!"

"Ah!" she yelled, surprised. Seeing Percy that close to her shocked her and she accidentally (or was it purposely?) slapped him promptly across the face.

"Ow!" he yelled, staggering back. "Shit, that hurt! What the hell?"

Sitting up, she took a deep breath. "Sorry. You scared me."

He was still a little wary of her. "It's alright. Look, it's already six-fifty. We need to get going."

"Oh. Right. Let me go change first."

She hurried down the hall and into her room where she changed into a black cocktail dress. She quickly pinned her hair back and put on some black heels.

"Ready," she said, appearing in front of Percy.

He nodded. "Let's go, then."

When the "couple" arrived at the office, they were greeted with many hugs and pats on the back. They were immediately handed a beer and the two found themselves separated: Annabeth stuck with the girls of the office, and Percy stuck with the guys of the office. With Annabeth, it was questions about the wedding.

"When are you guys getting married?"

"Um, well, we aren't exactly sure yet," Annabeth answered uncomfortably.

"Are you guys going to have kids?"

Annabeth had blushed profusely at that. She was kind of grossed out at the thought of having sex with Percy. "Uh…"

"How did he propose?"

Annabeth smirked at that one. She could work this to make Percy sound like a big, soft, teddy bear.

With a sickly sweet voice, she said, "Oh my gosh, it was amazing. In the morning, he made me a big breakfast in bed, and then he took me out to this fancy restaurant at night and in the middle of the restaurant, he got down on one knee and gave this really sweet speech about how he was complete with me and he couldn't imagine a world without me. Then, he brought out this box, and inside were little heart confetti and sitting on a silver pillow was a huge _rock."_ She sighed lovingly. "It was amazing."

"So where's the ring?"

Annabeth stopped. "What?"

"The rock, where is it?"

Wow she was stupid. The one flaw in her mushy story.

"Oh, um…I accidentally left it at home after I took a shower."

"Oh that's too bad."

Annabeth sucked in some air through her teeth. "Right…"

With Percy, it was a whole different kind of embarrassment. For Annabeth, that is.

The guys, of course, wanted to know about their _sexual_ life.

"Is she good?"

Percy blushed a bit, but kept his cool. "Oh yeah!" he bragged. "Amazing."

Needless to say, if Annabeth had heard what they were talking about, she would have slapped all of them and hid their beer.

Then, the two were interrogated together.

"Where are you guys getting married?"

"Are you guys going to stay in Manhattan?"

"Where are you going for the honeymoon?"

There were many questions that were shot at them that they hadn't even bothered to think about. Heck, they didn't even think they'd be interrogated like this.

"Well we haven't really thought about the wedding too much," Percy answered. "We're just taking our time…seeing how it goes…" _Seeing how long until we rip each other's throats out…_

After that, people broke out some more beer and people were starting to get drunk. Percy was smart enough to not make that same mistake twice. He stayed away from the beer, deciding that he didn't want his hands tied again.

After a few hours, Annabeth was about to fall asleep. She just wanted to go home. She could have just gone by herself, but people would find it a bit suspicious.

"Percy," she started, tugging on his sleeve. "Can we please go home?"

Percy looked down at her. "Why? We've only been here for three hours."

"I'm really tired and it's getting late. Let's just go home."

Percy sighed. "Okay. Fine."

He turned and said goodbye to the people he was talking to and they both departed from the huge party.

"So what's your problem?" Percy asked.

She growled. "I'm really tired."

"Well why didn't you just leave by yourself?"

"It would have been suspicious."

"Hmm. I think you just want me to yourself."

"What the hell, Percy?"

"God, I was just joking. You must be really tired."

"Yes, I am, Percy! I'm dead tired because all I've done this week is work, work, work! Along with that, I have to put up with _you_, an idiotic, annoying _jerk."_

"Jesus, Annabeth. Calm down! You know, I could say the same thing about you. You do so much at one time, thinking you're like this, this…_superwoman_. Well, news flash, you're not. You just think you're like this almighty person and that you're this really smart person that's always right."

Annabeth glared hard at Percy but remained silent. Percy shook his head. "You're just…you're just acting like a total bitch right now."

Annabeth felt hot angry tears rolled down her face. She stepped up and slapped Percy across the face for the second time that day. And this time, she didn't feel sorry.

Percy blinked, his cheek stinging. He watched as she wiped away some tears and then turned and stalked off.

Percy rubbed his tender cheek. Now that he had calmed down, he realized what he had said.

He realized he had gone too far.

* * *

**Oh no! They had a fight! No! **

**Like I said, I didn't like this chapter, but maybe you did...? Tell me in a review! Thanks for reading and REVIEW!**

**P.S. I finished the Red Pyramid which is also by Rick Riordan, and I liked it, but it just wasn't as good as PJO. The plot was good, and I liked the references to Egyptian culture and it was really interesting, but I think the characters kind of put me off...I don't know. **

**Thanks for reading!**

**-Akatsuki Child**


	12. Relief or Sinking Feeling?

**Hey everyone! I meant to update a few days ago, but it kept slipping my mind. So here's chapter twelve! I like this chapter because after this one, things start getting good...:D**

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own PJO. Never have, never will (sadly). **

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**Relief or Sinking Feeling?**

When Percy went back to the apartment that night, Annabeth had already gone to bed and she had made sure to lock her door.

Percy wasn't sure what this feeling in his stomach was. As he lay on his leather couch, he contemplated what it could possibly be.

It just felt like someone had dropped a twelve pound bowling ball in his stomach. It felt like guilt, but it went deeper than that. He felt God-awful for calling her a bitch. But that's what made him so angry at himself! Why would he care that she was ignoring him now? Didn't he want her to leave him alone? Why would he care that he had called her that? Was it the hurt look on her face that made him want to punch himself in the gut? Or was it the guilt that was now gnawing away at him?

All Percy knew was that he shouldn't be feeling this way. It was weird and unfamiliar to him. He had never hurt someone this much, and it oddly bothered him that he had hurt _Annabeth_ this much, because despite their arguments and despite their fake involvement with each other, she didn't deserve this.

But then again, was he just making a big deal out of it? Was she just taking things a little too personally?

_Of course not,_ Percy thought, _I just seriously called her a bitch. She has the right to be upset. _

_But maybe it's more than that…_

Percy's brow furrowed. What if there was something else that caused her to get so mad? What if something triggered it? Annabeth wasn't one to get so upset unless it had a deeper involvement.

Percy sighed. _My head hurts…_

With that lovely thought, he fell into a restless sleep.

Annabeth, meanwhile, tossed and turned in her own bed, experiencing her own nightmare.

_An eight year old Annabeth was running through a huge house, one that she hadn't seen in years. _

_She ran up a winding staircase and stopped at the top. Breathing hard, she pushed open a door and stepped inside a room with drawings taped on the walls. She looked into a full length mirror and saw her eight year old self with shorter blonde hair staring back. She was wearing a white dress with her pure white sandals. _

She remembered that outfit. She remembered what was going to happen. She wanted to wake up, but she couldn't. She was practically screaming at herself, but she remained sleeping.

_Annabeth grinned at her reflection and then stepped outside into the hall. _

"_Mom!" she yelled. She ran down the hall to see if her mom was in her room. She pushed the door open and stepped inside. "Mo—"_

"_Please, honey, don't go!" Dr. Chase, Annabeth's dad, pleaded with her mother, who walked by Annabeth with her suitcase in hand. _

_Annabeth's mom didn't say anything. She just continued walking down the stairs. Annabeth ran after her. _

"_Mom!" she yelled again. Her mom stopped and turned to stare at Annabeth with a longing expression, but then her gaze turned steely and she promptly turned around and walked out the door. _

Annabeth finally snapped out of it and woke up, breathing hard. She swallowed dryly and got up to go to the bathroom. She splashed some water on her face and sighed. She stared at her reflection in the mirror for a good ten minutes before finally deciding to go back to bed.

The next few days were hell for Percy. He still wasn't sure why he was feeling what he was feeling. And to make things worse, Annabeth completely ignored him. She didn't greet him in the morning, she didn't joke around with him…she didn't even _fight_ with him. Granted, before the fight whenever she greeted him, it was something snarky and sarcastic, but it was _something. _Now, she didn't even bother to acknowledge him.

That awful feeling would punch his gut again whenever he saw her or whenever he thought of her. The feeling was there more often than not, because when he wasn't around her, he was thinking about her, and vice versa. It was a double edged sword.

And it _still_ bothered him that he was feeling this guilty. He'd rather take a raging Annabeth who fought with him and threw stuff at him than a quiet Annabeth who ignored him and gave him the cold shoulder. It just added to his guilt, and he felt like a huge jackass.

"Umm," he started awkwardly Sunday morning after she had finally come out of her room. "Morning."

She just mumbled, "Morning," and then walked into the kitchen to have breakfast.

Percy sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

The next day, on Monday, everyone in the office could tell something was wrong. Annabeth was working harder than she had before, and she stayed in her office all day. Percy had tried to stay in there (like he was supposed to), but she had kicked him out. It gave him a little spark of hope that maybe she was returning to normal, but that hope was squashed when, three hours later at lunch break, she left without telling him.

Poseidon and Mike knew something was wrong. They could see the rift starting to slowly grow between them, and they didn't like it.

"I had a feeling this was going to happen…" Mike mumbled.

"Maybe we can fix this," Poseidon said.

"I don't know," Mike sighed. "I think we should stop meddling in their lives."

"Nonsense!" The serious part of Poseidon that was rarely shown was starting to emerge. "We didn't come this far only to give up! If we nip this 'rift' in the bud, it'll be like it never happened and life will go on."

"I just don't think it's that easy."

Poseidon sighed and scratched his head. Then, an idea smited him.

"Maybe it would be difficult _here_, but they may be able to make up somewhere else," Poseidon said, smirking.

Mike narrowed his eyes. "What are you saying?"

"Two words: Private. Island."

Annabeth had just finished some blue prints for the building that Poseidon wanted to expand his company in. Clutching them in her hand, she made her way to Mike's office to deliver them.

She knocked on the door. "Come in," she heard Mike call. She stepped inside, closing the door behind her.

"Ah, Annabeth," Mike greeted from behind the desk. "What can I do for you?"

"I have the blueprints done," she replied.

Mike raised his brow, surprised. "You're done already?"

"Well I worked really hard on them."

"So I've heard…well, that's good. I'll look them over for you today."

She nodded and gave him the prints. She turned to leave, but Mike stopped her.

"Annabeth…are you okay?"

Annabeth stopped and sighed. "I'm fine. Really, I am."

"…If you say so. Listen, if you need to talk, you can always talk to me."

Annabeth blinked. "Thanks, Mike. I really appreciate that."

"Oh, and Annabeth?"

"Yeah?"

"I hope everything works out."

Annabeth's brow furrowed. "What are you—"

Suddenly, she felt something hit her head, and she lost all consciousness.

Mike pursed his lips. "You know, we could probably go to jail for this," he told Poseidon, who gingerly picked Annabeth up.

"No we won't. As long as no one finds out, we'll be fine," Poseidon replied. "Now, we need to get Percy."

Percy was mixing some coffee in the worker's lounge. He was scowling at the swirling dark liquid. He was starting to get ticked off with how Annabeth was treating him. At first it was understandable, but now she was just acting childish.

Well he was going to give her a piece of his mind!

After taking a swift drink of the hot liquid and burning his tongue, he dumped the rest into the sink and then rushed to get to Annabeth's office.

He was stopped at the lounge door by his dad.

"Jesus!" Percy yelled. "You scared the crap out of me!"

"Hmm…" his dad just hummed. "Whatcha doing?" he asked, rocking back on his heels, his hands behind his back.

"I'm going to talk to Annabeth," Percy replied, trying to walk around his dad.

"Funny you should mention that," Poseidon said, stepping in front of his son. "She actually wanted me to come get you. She's downstairs. I'll take you to her."

Percy's brow furrowed. He found the whole thing a bit odd, but he complied. As long as he got to talk to Annabeth, he would take the oddity.

Poseidon led his son into the elevator. "So, you're going to talk to her, huh?"

"Yup. I'm going to give her a piece of my mind."

The doors of the elevator opened and the two stepped out. Poseidon led Percy outside, and Percy was starting to get confused.

"Dad," he started. "Where are we—"

Suddenly, he was gagged with a cloth and there was a blindfold tied over his eyes. He felt his hands being tied behind his back. He squirmed around and tried to somehow get out of this, but he was thrown into a van and driven away to some other place.

Percy didn't know what was going on. He just knew his dad was behind it. He didn't know what time it was, he didn't know where he was or where he was going…he didn't know what to expect. He eventually succumbed to the sleep that threatened to overpower him.

When he woke up, he felt something hot hitting his face. He slowly opened his eyes, but then groaned.

_Too bright!_

He opened his eyes again and let them adjust to the light. He heard seagulls and the crashing of water. Confused, he slowly sat up.

Open sea was what lay ahead of him.

He looked down to see what his hands were sinking into and saw white sand. He picked some up and let it slide through his fingers, getting more confused by the second. He stood up, his legs feeling like jelly. He slowly turned around and saw palm trees, bright flowers, a few monkeys, and a forest that waited to be explored.

He slowly realized he was on an island.

He blinked. "Oh, fuck."

* * *

**Tee Hee :D Speaking of tee hee's...has anyone seen the cartoon 'Making Fiends'? It's so cute and it's actually really funny. **

**Want to hear a funny story? My friends and I were making a movie and my friend had to get in his car and drive off. First, he couldn't get his car started. Then, when it did start, he revved it up andwhen he pulled out, he forgot to look and he pulled out in front of this person. The funny part? The person he pulled out in front of was my dad. **

**:|**

**Needless to say, my dad wasn't happy and I'm forbidden to drive with him...Oh well. I don't trust him anyways. **

**Thanks for reading and review please!**

**-Akatsuki Child**


	13. Captured for Vacation

**'Ello again :D There is only one reason why I like this chapter, and once you get about halfway through it, you'll know why.**

**HERE IS MY GOAL FOR THIS STORY: get enough reviews to beat my other story Darkest Before Dawn. For some reason, people really liked that story, and looking back on it, it's not that great of a story. Sooo...I want to try to get at least three hundred reviews on this story (seems impossible, but who knows? maybe it'll happen). **

**Disclaimer: I do not own PJO!**

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**Captured for Vacation**

"Alright," Poseidon addressed Mike. "I had some of my men take Percy and Annabeth to my private island just off the coast of Cancun."

"They're all the way down there?" Mike asked, incredulous.

Poseidon rolled his eyes. "The whole point was so they would be very far away from stress. So yes, they are _way down there_."

"Good point. So now…?"

"Now," Poseidon sighed. "We tell the office."

"The truth?"

"Yes. They need to know why the two suddenly disappeared."

Mike sighed. "Okay. I think it's best, anyways."

"Right."

So now the two found themselves standing before about ninety workers in the biggest board room that was reserved for these kinds of things.

"Umm," someone spoke up. "Why are we here?"

"Well…we have a confession to make," Mike spoke up bravely.

They looked at them expectedly.

"Uh," Poseidon started. "As you know, Percy and Annabeth are engaged…"

"Yeah…"

"Well, it wasn't exactly their choice…"

"What do you mean?"

"They were kind of, in a way, maaaaybe….forcedtodoit."

"Say that again?"

"T-they were forced to do it."

Silence.

"Why? By who?"

"Our company is going down the drain, and so is Frederick Chases' company, and so is Poseidon's company. We made a proposal for the two and they took it." Mike was subtle to leave out Poseidon's poor poker playing. "But besides that, we had another purpose in mind…"

The two then reported their "other purpose."

That got everyone smiling. "You guys are devils in disguise."

Poseidon and Mike smirked. "Thanks."

"But now," Poseidon said. "We have another surprise. We have shipped the two to Cancun on my private island. Cameras have been installed all over so we can watch their movements."

"When they make up and get a little relaxed, we'll go and bring them back to work."

"So break out the popcorn and the refreshments so we can get this "movie" started!"

Everyone cheered as a huge projector turned on and the lights dimmed. Someone started making popcorn in the microwave and someone brought in a huge cooler of pop and other drinks. On the screen, an image of Percy on a beach popped up.

Percy heard a groan on his right and turned his head to see Annabeth lying in the sand.

"Annabeth!" he exclaimed and ran over to her. He flopped her over onto her back.

"Annabeth, are you okay?"

She groaned and slowly opened her eyes. "Oh, my head…" she rubbed her head, and then looked up. "Where…where are we?"

"Uh," Percy laughed nervously. "Funny story about that…"

He explained how his dad was behind all this along with Mike.

Annabeth, with barely contained rage, stood up and slowly staggered to the edge of the forest. She then proceeded to let out a string of curse words as she repeatedly smacked a leaf the size of her torso. Percy just stood there, amused, as he listened to her profanity. He was surprised when she used a few words that even _he _didn't know, and he knew a lot of good cuss words.

"Dude," a guy back at the office said, hearing her cussing. "She's got a mouth."

"She's even worse than me!" Poseidon yelled, shoving popcorn in his mouth.

"She definitely has a vulgar side," another guy said, sipping some Pepsi.

Annabeth finally stopped, and she emerged from the trees, her hair slightly askew and her expression one of calmness.

"Better?" Percy asked.

"Just about," she replied breathlessly.

An awkward silence fell upon them. Annabeth and Percy remembered that she was mad at him, and Annabeth, not wanting to deal with him, turned and started walking down the beach.

"Where's she going?" Mike asked. "She's just going to leave?"

"Wait, wait, wait!" A girl shouted. "Something might happen!"

"Annabeth, wait!" Percy yelled, running after her. It was hard to run in the sand with his dress shoes, but it was amusing to see Annabeth stumbling in the sand with her three inch heels.

Annabeth didn't say anything. She just continued walking.

"Where are you going?" Percy asked, walking beside her.

"Away from you," she answered harshly.

"Well too bad. I'm not leaving you alone on this island."

"Pft, you're probably just scared to be alone."

"Not true. But look, this is my dad's private island. He took me here when I was twelve for Christmas. There's a house in the middle of the island that we can go to until my dad comes to get us." Percy rolled his eyes. "Really, I don't understand why my dad acts like a kid so much."

Everyone back at the office laughed at that while Poseidon pouted. "I am not a kid…" he mumbled.

Annabeth stopped and sighed. "Fine. Lead the way."

Percy grinned and then started hacking through the jungle.

Annabeth was really struggling. Percy just kept on walking through like he was taking a stroll through Central Park. Annabeth was tripping over roots, swatting away annoying insects, and scowling at every bright flower.

Percy sighed and turned around. "If you stay close, you won't have to battle everything," he said, grabbing her wrist and pulling her closer to him.

Annabeth blushed and swatted his hand away. Nevertheless, she stayed close to him, and she had to admit, it was way better.

"Aww…" Two of the administrative assistants cooed, staring at the huge screen. "That was really sweet."

Mike and Poseidon rolled their eyes.

"We'll stop and take a breath," Percy said, sitting down on a log. Annabeth plopped down, crossing her arms and glaring at the ground.

_This is not happening…_she thought with an angry sigh.

Percy, however, was feeling that guilt again. That guilt that made him want to pull his spleen out and stomp it on the ground.

A silence fell over the two once again. Before their fight, things had never been awkward when they were silent and in the same room. Now, that's all the silences were: awkward and full of stress.

Percy sighed, and for the second time since meeting Annabeth, he was going to apologize.

He took a deep breath. "Annabeth, there's something I have to say."

Annabeth turned her head away from him. "I don't want to hear it."

"Well too bad, because I'm going to say it anyway." He got up and went to sit right beside her so she wouldn't have a choice. "Annabeth, I'm really sorry for calling you a bitch."

Annabeth turned and raised a brow at him. She saw the sincerity on his face and sighed.

"It's not your fault, so don't apologize."

Percy blinked. He was hoping for this really heroic and somewhat noble make up, but then she practically just wrote him off. "What?"

Annabeth looked down at her hands. "I've been called a bitch before, and even though it hurts a little, it's not what gets me. I just think of my mom and how she betrayed us."

Percy's brow furrowed. "I'm still confused."

She took a deep breath. "When I was little, my mom left us. I don't know why. Even my dad doesn't know. I really loved her, and she just…left."

"So…you really weren't all that mad at me?"

"No, not really."

Percy blinked. "Well then. I'm still sorry for calling you a bitch though."

She smiled. "It's alright."

And then—Percy didn't know why—the thought _this is where we kiss _crossed Percy's mind.

Then he mentally slapped himself.

_What the hell?_ He screamed at himself in his head.

But looking down at her now, even though she had a twig in her blonde hair, he couldn't help but think she looked beautiful. He had never really noticed how gray her eyes were, and he was shocked at how startling they were.

_God, now I'm getting sentimental…_he thought.

But, as cheesy as it sounds, he couldn't control his body. He stared into her eyes and slowly leaned down.

_Wait...what are you doing?_ He yelled in his head.

He realized he couldn't stop himself. He knew Annabeth would see what he was doing, and he expected her to do one of the following: slap him, push him and stomp away, call him a pervert...the list went on.

What he didn't expect was for her to choose: other.

He kind of freaked out a little when she leaned forward as well. But then he relaxed and their lips met.

In the office, girls screamed shrilly, throwing popcorn in the air, and most of the guys hollered.

"Yeah, Percy!" they jeered.

Annabeth couldn't believe she was actually kissing Percy, the guy she had been fighting with for a month.

She pulled back after a few seconds, her eyes closed. She bit her lip.

"Nothing?" Percy asked, staring at her face.

She opened her eyes, and, smiling a little, shook her head. "None."

Percy just nodded. "I mean…was it bad?"

"No, no! It just wasn't…amazing."

"Maybe if we…try again?"

"Yeah…"

Then Percy grabbed her face and planted his lips on hers again, a little more fiercely than before.

And, for some reason, Annabeth felt a spark. It was small, but it was there.

She grabbed the collar of his shirt and deepened the kiss, but then Percy pulled back.

"Better?" he smirked.

"Definitely."

"And now," Poseidon smiled, hitting the off button on the projector, causing groans and complaints to erupt. "A little privacy."

"We should get going so we don't get stuck out here at night," Percy said, standing up. He helped Annabeth up, and she made sure to stay close to his side so she didn't trip and fall.

"You know, I don't really know that much about you," Annabeth stated. Her heel got caught on something and she grabbed onto the back of Percy's jacket.

"You okay?" he asked, turning around.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Anyways, all I know is that you don't like spicy food."

"Speaking of which, I have to get you back for that seasoning…"

Annabeth smirked. "Yeah, well…you were asking for it."

Percy wrinkled his nose. "Nico's a jerk. I can't believe you had a crush on him."

"Hey!" she exclaimed, slapping him lightly. "He wasn't always a jerk."

"So you admit he's a jerk?"

She sighed. "Yeah. He's changed a lot."

"Hmm…oh, I wanted to ask you about something. You knew that I had been the one to punch him, but you still threw him out…why?"

Annabeth smiled. "Why do you want to know?"

"I'm just curious."

"Well why did you punch him in the first place?"

"…Good point. So, we'll just stay away from that subject. Anyways, so you want to know more about the awesome, badass Percy Jackson?"

She shoved him into a tree. "On second thought…no I don't."

He laughed and wrapped an arm casually around her shoulder. She raised a brow, but didn't say anything.

"Well…what do you want to know?"

Annabeth then asked many questions, from Percy's birthday to his favorite color.

Percy scoffed. "That's a first grade question," he complained.

"Well too bad, because I'm honestly curious."

"Aquamarine," he deadpanned.

"Be serious," she glared.

"Sorry." He then took on a mock expression of deadly seriousness. "My favorite color in the whole wide world is green."

Annabeth sighed.

"So where's this all coming from?" Percy asked.

"If we're going to get married, we should probably know about each other."

"Oh, right…" There was an edge of sarcasm to his voice that didn't go unnoticed by Annabeth.

She narrowed her eyes. "What?"

"Oh nothing…I just think you were honestly curious."

"You wish, Seaweed Brain."

Percy groaned and Annabeth laughed. Feeling bold, she leaned up and gave him a kiss.

"Why thank you," he mumbled against her lips.

Annabeth pulled away. "You know I have to stop giving you kisses."

"That was only our third time!"

Annabeth raised a brow. "Someone counting?"

"Yup. I doubt I'll get any out in public, so I'm taking what I can get."

Annabeth blushed a bit. "Who says I'm going to be giving you anymore?"

Percy smirked. "Is that a challenge?"

"Hmm…maybe…"

Then, swift as a ninja, he swooped down and stole a kiss from her.

Annabeth shoved him away, laughing. Then, running as fast as she could, she continued into the jungle, ducking and dipping under trees. She heard Percy behind her, and she grinned even wider.

Then, suddenly, she was at the top of a steep hill and down below in a valley of some sorts was the huge house. She skidded to a stop so she wouldn't fall down the hill, but Percy didn't realize where they were and when he came to the clearing, he ran into Annabeth, and the two fell down and tumbled down the hill.

Annabeth hit her head a lot, and Percy was sure his arm would be numb for a while. Finally, though, they stopped under a huge tree.

They both groaned. "Percy," Annabeth wheezed. "You're an idiot."

* * *

**See why I liked this chapter? I hope you did. With this story, half the people thought the speed of the story was great, but the other half thought I was going too slow, so I hope everyone's happy now. There are still about seven or eight chapters left, and more drama (and hilarity) to come. **

**Thanks for reading and review please! Also, check out my other story 'The Persistence of Memory'! I finally picked it up again! :D**

**-Akatsuki Child**


	14. When We're Alone, I Actually Like You

**Good news: my plan for getting three hundred reviews is actually going pretty well. I got quite a few reviews last chapter, but hopefully I'll get even more :D Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed! **

**As always, credit for beta-ing goes to Clara Fonteyn and Stolen Silent Stars!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own PJO!**

* * *

**When We're Alone, I Actually Like You**

"This is…amazing," Annabeth spoke, surprised. She stared in amazement at the palace-like house.

The whole house itself was two stories tall and it had a glass roof with slightly tinted windows. The sides were white with a few huge windows looking out at the setting sun. The floor was a polished hardwood, and there were white couches, white chairs, and glass coffee tables.

The kitchen was massive and it opened up into the living room. From the living room you could step out onto a balcony over a small pool of water. There was a short hallway extending from the living room that led to a bathroom and a huge room with big bay windows and a twin bed.

That was just the second floor.

On the first floor, there was a huge TV and a computer. There was also a bathroom down a hallway. There was a second hallway that led to a wooden deck that gave a good view of the open sea so many miles out.

"How do you get service out here?" Annabeth asked upon seeing the computer and TV.

"The island is near Cancun, so we get service from there," Percy replied.

"Oh."

Annabeth walked up the stairs to the second floor, and Percy followed her.

"Wow," she said in amazement. She stepped out onto the balcony and stared at the sun and how it changed everything. "It's beautiful."

"Yeah…" Percy agreed, leaning against the rail. "This was my favorite part when I came here during Christmas. Most kids were happy about it snowing on Christmas, but I got to see a sunset, and it was way better."

Annabeth smiled, and then yawned.

Stretching her arms above her head, she said, "Well, I'm going to bed. You're still sleeping on the couch."

"Right," Percy deadpanned.

She laughed and started down the hallway, but then Percy called, "Don't I get a kiss?"

She turned and raised an eyebrow. "After making us tumble down that hill…I think not."

She turned back around and disappeared behind the bedroom door, leaving Percy to sigh.

He slipped his shoes off and crashed on the couch. He looked really out of place in the relaxed room—his hair was messed up, his clothes were dirty, and his face was tired.

_When we get home,_ he thought, _I'm killing my dad._

That night, the winds blew hard and the trees smashed together and it started to rain.

Needless to say, Annabeth couldn't sleep. It was a little hard to do that when it sounded like the end of the world was happening right outside your window.

She kind of felt like a little kid who was scared of the boogey man under the bed, so she couldn't get to sleep.

Either way you sliced it, the point was, she couldn't get any damn sleep, and on the previous day, she had been knocked out, sent to some island near Cancun, and hacked through the jungle.

Was a little shut eye too much to ask for?

Well, apparently it was.

She sighed and finally pushed the covers down and got up. She silently crept to the living room where Percy was lying on the couch…

…wide awake, staring blankly at the ceiling.

"Percy?" she called over the raging weather.

Percy's head snapped up and he turned to find Annabeth looking tired, her hair mused.

"Couldn't sleep?" he asked, trying not to smile at her appearance.

She sighed. "No."

"I didn't have much luck either."

"So I see…"

Percy sat up and crossed his legs while Annabeth went over at sat beside him, stealing some of his blanket. Tucking her knees to her chest, the two listened to the weather fighting itself outside.

"I never have been able to sleep in a major storm," Annabeth mumbled.

"This is actually a pretty bad storm for this island. It usually has relatively good weather."

"Just how many times did you come here?"

"I've been here about seven times. It was mostly when I started working for my dad's company, and sometimes we would come here for a vacation."

"I bet that was nice."

"Meh," Percy grumbled. "Sometimes, yes. Other times…"

She chuckled. "Right. I forgot we were talking about Poseidon here."

Percy just shook his head.

The rain slowly stopped pouring outside and now there was a small drizzle, and the wind had calmed down a bit.

Annabeth yawned and rested her head on Percy's shoulder. "You know, Percy, you're not that bad."

"I thought I was a Seaweed Brain?"

"No, you just act like one."

Percy rolled his eyes and stretched his legs up onto the glass coffee table.

He looked down at Annabeth, who was now breathing deeply. Percy knew that people were only truly relaxed when they were sleeping, and seeing Annabeth's face, he knew she was perfectly content.

And if seeing her like that every night meant marrying her…well, then, he wasn't too upset about the engagement.

When Annabeth woke up that morning, she realized she was really warm.

Too warm.

When Annabeth woke up, she not only realized that she was really warm, but that she was also pressed up against Percy's chest.

Shocked, she scooted back…only to end up on the floor.

"Ouch…" she groaned, rubbing her head. Man, if she got anymore injuries to the head, she'd get a concussion.

But that was the least of her concerns. She was more concerned about her situation with Percy.

It wasn't that Percy was gross or anything, she was just shocked she had been so close to him. Plus, she was confused about her feelings towards him. She had hated him for the first few weeks of their engagement, and only stuck around him because she had to, but now…now, she _wanted _to be around him. Sure, they had had quarrels here and there, but they had been considerably nicer to each other. And after yesterday when they kissed? What was she supposed to think about that? What did Percy feel for her now? He had asked for kisses more than once yesterday (hell, they kissed at least three times), and he had let her fall asleep on his shoulder. That had to mean something, right?

After getting to know him, she realized he was actually a decent guy. By all means, she wasn't in love with him, but she was actually starting to like him.

_Wow,_ Annabeth thought. _My world has totally flipped. _

Percy then blinked awake. Annabeth froze, looking quite awkward, and Percy stared confusingly up at her.

"Annabeth?" he asked, sitting up on his elbow. "What are you doing?"

"Umm…nothing…" Annabeth mumbled back.

_Wow this is awkward…_she thought.

"Um, well, are you hungry?" she asked.

"Yeah, a little bit."

"Okay then. I'll make some breakfast."

"I'll try to get a hold of my dad."

Annabeth nodded and went to go downstairs. Percy quickly stood up and grabbed her wrist, spun her around, and gave her a sweet kiss.

Annabeth momentarily lost her train of thought and kissed him back. She wrapped her arms around his neck, but then, remembering her vow to herself, she quickly pulled back and glared at him.

He just smirked in return. "Told you I would get what I could." And then he swaggered off, leaving Annabeth to growl in frustration.

_The nerve of that guy!_

She furiously went to cooking some pancakes, grumbling the whole time about "Seaweed Brains" and how she "actually made herself believe she liked him."

Percy, meanwhile, was smirking like a mad man as he picked up the house's only phone. He dialed his dad's number. After the fourth ring, Poseidon picked up.

"Helllllooo…Poseidon speaking."

Percy glared at the white wall. "Hi,_ Dad_," he greeted rather angrily.

"Oh, Percy," Poseidon laughed nervously. "I-is that you?"

"Yes, it's me. You'll _never_ guess where I am."

"I won't?"

"Nope. I'm on your private island. Oh, and Annabeth's here, too. Coincidence, huh?"

"Uh…yeah…very coincidental."

"I thought you said you weren't going to do anymore stuff after we went to that party?"

"So I told a little white lie…I mean, from what I saw, you guys made up, so it was worth it, right?"

"From what you saw? What do you mean by that?"

"Crap…uh, well…" Poseidon explained about the hidden cameras.

"What?" Percy shrieked. "You installed cameras?"

"A long time ago, I did!"

"And then you spied on us?"

"It wasn't just me!"

Wrong thing to say.

"Who _else_ was watching?"

"Er…um…just the office…"

"The whole office?"

"Y-yes."

"So now they know?"

"Yup."

Percy sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"You know…me thinks someone is getting a little _too_ defensive. Is there something else going on that I should know about, Percy?"

"Nothing that concerns you! Now you send a plane over here to pick us up, right now!"

"Okay, okay! Jeez. I was just trying to have a little fun."

Percy rolled his eyes. "Bye, Dad."

He hung up.

"_Is there something else going on that I should know about, Percy?"_

Percy glanced towards the kitchen, where he could see Annabeth flipping some pancakes. _Was_ there something else going on? People didn't just kiss for no particular reason. So there had to be something else, right? She had kissed him back, and she had even fallen asleep on his shoulder last night. There was obviously something. He just didn't know what that something was.

Percy stumbled back into the kitchen and sat down at the counter. Annabeth slid a plate of pancakes over to him wordlessly. She sat down beside him, poured some syrup onto her pancakes, and started eating them.

They were both thinking about the 'something' and what it could be.

Finally, after many moments of awkward silence, Percy sighed. "What's going on?"

Annabeth stopped eating and set her fork down. "I don't know," she replied. "I mean…I've never gone through something like this."

"I don't think anyone has…"

"True," Annabeth sighed.

"But in all seriousness…I like you. When we don't have to worry about stress or my dad or work…I really like you. Sure, there's still a lot I have to learn about you, but you're really not all that bad."

She rolled her eyes. "Thanks, I guess."

"You know what I mean."

She sighed, but then smiled. "Yeah, I do know what you mean. And, well…I like you, too," she mumbled, blushing a bit.

Percy grinned. "Good."

Annabeth smiled back. The two stared at each other for a second, and then, suddenly, Annabeth leaned in and kissed him. Percy gladly wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer. She slipped off her stool and stood between his legs, hooking her arms around his neck.

Annabeth pulled back after a few seconds to catch her breath. Percy still hugged her and gave her a kiss on the forehead.

Percy was kind of starting to wish he hadn't called for the plane.

Annabeth sighed. "I wish I had some clothes to change into."

"Hmm…" Percy mumbled. "There might be something in the bedroom you could borrow."

Percy stood up and led her to the bedroom. He searched through the drawers and found a shirt and some jeans that used to be his.

"This will have to do," he said, giving them to Annabeth.

"Thanks," she said.

Percy stepped out and she closed the door.

Right outside the door, Percy did a little victory/happy dance before walking calmly to the couch. He plopped down, and after a few minutes, Annabeth stepped outside in jeans that were a size too big and a black shirt. She walked over to the couch and sat close to Percy.

"The jeans are a little big, but it's better than nothing."

Percy pulled her to his side. "So when I called my dad, I found out some interesting news."

Annabeth raised a brow. "Oh, really?"

"Yup. Apparently, he told everyone at the office about the fake engagement."

She shook her head. "I swear…" she sighed. "Well, maybe it will be easier this way."

"Maybe…hey Annabeth?"

"Yeah?"

"Does that mean you'll kiss me in public then?"

Annabeth smirked and patted his knee. "We'll see."

* * *

**I didn't mind this chapter, but it wasn't my favorite. **

**OMG! I went to Eclipse, and it was awesome! **

**Oh, and Happy Fourth of July everyone! Thanks for reading and REVIEW please so we can get to that three hundred mark!**

**-Akatsuki Child**


	15. A Big, Frizzy Problem

**Oh...my...Gucci...THREE HUNDRED REVIEWS ALREADY! Like seriously? That's crazy. I honest to God love you guys! As a reward...chapter fifteen, and maybe another quick update... :D**

**Disclaimer: I do not own PJO!**

* * *

**A Big, Frizzy Problem…**

When Annabeth heard the plane was coming, she wasn't sure whether to run to the beach and wave them in with big palm leaves, or to be a bit disappointed that she wouldn't have the day with Percy. Going home won out, though, because even though they were on this beautiful island, she was a little stressed out, and she really just want to strangle Poseidon for doing this to them.

Percy agreed, but he too was disappointed. He had wanted to spend the day with her, but like her, he wanted to go home and hurt his dad.

"If we want to make it to the beach by the time the plane gets here, we need to start hacking through the jungle now," Percy stated that afternoon.

Annabeth sighed from her spot on the couch. "Can't they just come to us?"

"Oh, yes. They'll just land the plane on the _glass roof_ and we'll just climb the golden stairs up to the roof," Percy deadpanned. "Silly me. Why didn't I think of that?"

He barely dodged the stiletto Annabeth threw at him.

She glared. "Don't be a smartass."

"Sorry. It's in my blood."

She rolled her eyes. "Lovely. So I'll have to put up with this for God knows how long?"

"Mmm…probably not. Only when I'm stressed or mad. Anyways, let's get going!"

Annabeth stared at him, her lips pursed. Finally, she said, "Only if you give me a piggy back ride."

Percy crossed his arms. "No way. It's hard enough to fight the jungle by myself. I don't need more weight on my back to make it even harder."

"Are you calling me fat?"

"No! I'm just saying I'm not going to do it."

Annabeth glared. "Well then I'll stay here. I am not hacking through that jungle again."

Percy narrowed his eyes. The one thing he learned from his past experiences with stubborn people is that there is only one way to make them give in: force.

Percy stomped over to her and stood in front of her.

"What are you—!" She squealed as Percy promptly picked her up and hefted her onto his shoulder.

In a way, Annabeth got her wish of being carried. Percy would not only get to the beach, but he would make Annabeth angry for being carried on his shoulder, causing him to smirk triumphantly.

"Percy!" she yelled. "Put me down!"

"Nope," he simply replied, starting his journey through the jungle.

"Percy!" she growled. "I swear to God I will make you extremely spicy food for a week and wash your clothes so they turn out pink!"

Percy rolled his eyes as she continued to make threats. Finally, fed up, he gave her a good whack on the butt.

"Ah!" she screamed, blushing. "Did you just spank me?"

He smirked. "I like to think of it as a "slap on the ass"."

"Jerk," she muttered. Still embarrassed, she remained quiet and instead rested her head on her hands.

Percy sighed, thankful for the silence.

The two had never really been this close and okay with it. They had usually tried to keep a three yard (at the least) radius between them. Now, they were kissing and he was carrying her like a doll. It was a little awkward for them still.

Annabeth knew it wouldn't last for long though. She knew that they only kissed because they were on the island where no one was around them. Plus, stress tended to make you do things you wouldn't normally do.

Percy also knew that their truce was temporary. Eventually, they would go back to the normal bickering and fighting. A part of him wanted to run back to the house and call off the plane and stay with Annabeth for a good month, but a bigger part of him (the more logical side) told him that even if they did that, it wouldn't last forever.

Plus, they both needed to strangle Poseidon.

"You can put me down, now," Annabeth murmured.

"What if I don't want to?" Percy asked. "What if I like carrying you?"

She sighed. "Well can't I at least get in a better position?"

Then Percy, quick as a flash, shifted her around so he was carrying her bridal style.

He grinned down at her. "Better?"

She blinked, then blushed. "Yeah. Thanks."

The two remained quiet for a while.

"You know, I never found out what your dad's company is about…" Percy stated out of the blue.

"He manufactures planes and packaging. He's basically the guy people go to when they want things flown somewhere."

"Like a major Fed-Ex."

"Exactly."

"And so how is he going bankrupt?"

Annabeth sighed. "He's had his company for a long time. People just aren't going to him anymore for their packaging needs. Besides, with Mike's company starting to go down the drain, my dad is losing a lot of money."

"And that's why we're getting married…" Percy stated softly.

Annabeth nodded slowly. Back a month ago, she would have done anything to not marry Percy, but now…now, it didn't seem so bad.

"You know, I thought arranged marriages only happened in India, or Europe or something…" Percy said.

Annabeth laughed. "Apparently not."

He grimaced. "Well, at least we'll be angry and lonely together."

Annabeth continued to smile. She wrapped her arms around his neck and reached up to kiss his cheek. "Sounds like a plan."

He grinned and pulled her closer. "Sounds like a plan…" he repeated.

Finally, after about an hour, they made it to the beach.

"Finally!" Percy shouted. He let Annabeth stand on her feet before collapsing in the in the warm sand.

Right on cue, the two heard a helicopter in the distance, and the winds started picking up. They looked up to the sky and saw a black dot approaching them.

"Thank God," Annabeth sighed.

The helicopter slowly descended onto the beach, causing sand to fly, the water to lap in waves, and the palm trees to bend to the point where they could snap. The two ran to the door and climbed inside. They were each immediately handed a pair of head phones so they could talk to everyone in the aircraft.

"Mr. Jackson. Miss Chase. Good to see you again," the pilot said. "Unfortunately, Poseidon couldn't make it."

Percy rolled his eyes.

_Of course he couldn't…_Annabeth thought sarcastically.

The helicopter lifted into the air and they made their journey over sea and cities back to Manhattan. After a couple hours, they landed on the helicopter pad on the Overseas Inc. building, where Poseidon stood, waiting for them with five body guards surrounding him.

Now, Percy and Annabeth's original plan was to strangle him on sight, but after taking a look at the intimidating, six foot, beefy body guards who wore black suits and dark shades that were surrounding him, they decided that they could wait until they had left. They feared too much for their safety. They still wanted to be able to walk after they attacked Poseidon.

"Dad," Percy greeted, glaring at Poseidon. The two slowly walked up and stood before him.

"H-hey, guys," Poseidon replied nervously, scratching the back of his head. "I see things went well."

Annabeth glared harder at him, and Poseidon swallowed.

"Any reason for the body guards?" Percy asked.

"Oh…you know…" Poseidon mumbled, looking pale. "I feel my safety is in danger."

"Damn right it is…" Annabeth mumbled back. One of the body guards grumbled and cracked his knuckles threateningly.

Annabeth nervously took a step back and Percy grabbed her wrist. "Well, after all your messing around, we're tired, so we're going home."

The two turned and started walking towards the stairs that would take them to the elevator. Eventually, Annabeth slipped her hand into Percy's and they became interlocked.

"'Home,' huh?" Poseidon mumbled. "Whatever happened to 'Annabeth's apartment'?"

Poseidon watched as they stepped onto the stairs and disappeared into the building.

_I think something else might have happened on that island…_

"Ahh…" Annabeth sighed. "Home."

"Never thought I'd be saying this, but…it's nice to be here," Percy admitted.

Annabeth just nodded. "Well, I feel like there is dirt on every part of me body, so I'm going to go take a shower."

She turned and walked down the hall before disappearing behind the door. Percy was momentarily distracted by the way her hips swayed, but then he shook himself out of his stupor.

Percy went to lie down on the couch. He rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands. Now he was starting to notice things about her. Yeah, sure, he had always noticed her nice ass, but now he was noticing her _hips_.

It wasn't just her…_physique_ he was noticing. Like on the island: he had noticed her eyes and how someone could get lost in them just for staring into them. And lately, he'd been noticing her better side, the side that was nice and beautiful and caring.

Percy groaned. What was happening to him? Did he pick up some rare disease on the island? Was he getting sick?

Well, in a way, he _was_ getting sick, just not in the sense of fevers, headaches, vomiting etc.

No, Percy didn't know it yet, but he was getting lovesick.

The next day, Percy was sitting in his own office, in his own building, at his own desk, in his own chair. It had been quite some time since he had sat down in his ridiculously large black leather chair, and he missed the way it would 'poof' when he sat down in it.

He found himself having a hard time concentrating though. He couldn't really focus for more than five minutes. Was it because he didn't have a chance to get his morning coffee yet? Was it because he was really tired? Or was it because he didn't have his fiancée bugging him?

Perplexed by the situation, he stared unseeing at the clock, trying to figure out the problem.

Suddenly, his secretary walked in. She had a grimace on her face.

"What's wrong?" Percy asked.

"Someone's here to see you," she replied, wrinkling her nose.

Percy's hopes shot up a bit, but then they settled back down because Percy knew she wouldn't make that face if it was Annabeth.

"Well who is it?"

"Peeeercyyy!" a voice suddenly called. Percy was suddenly hit with memories of Spring Break from years ago during college.

"_Hey, I'm Rachel Elizabeth Dare."_

"_Well, Rachel Elizabeth Dare, I'm Jackson. Percy Jackson."_

And then he was hit with more flashbacks of partying with her and dating her.

"Rachel?" he asked just as she walked in.

"Percy! I've missed you," she declared as his secretary walked out, shutting the door. She leaned up and gave him a big kiss on the lips. Percy blinked, surprised by her open affection.

He grabbed her shoulders and pushed her back. "Whoa, Rachel. What are you doing here?"

Rachel Elizabeth Dare smiled up at him. "What? I can't visit my ex boyfriend?"

Percy raised a brow. "Um, usually, you don't go looking for your exes. Most people usually forget about them and move on. That's how it works."

"Well in case you haven't noticed, I'm not like most people."

Percy took in her tattered jeans with marker stains and her frizzy red hair. _Yup, still the same,_ he thought.

"No, you are not," Percy mumbled.

"And besides," she muttered, wrapping her arms around his neck. "I missed you. Can't we give it another try?"

"No, we can't," he said, unhooking her arms. "I'm engaged, Rachel." Percy felt himself smile a bit when he said this.

Rachel blinked and took a step back. "Are you serious?"

"Yes. Dead serious."

She blinked again. "Oh," she murmured, obviously disappointed. She remained silent, staring at the floor for a few minutes. Percy felt a little awkward just standing there while she battled with something in her mind.

Finally, she looked up. "Well, then, can we at least be friends?"

Percy didn't see why they couldn't… "Sure. Friends." He shook her hand, and she smiled a bit.

They released hands, and things went awkward again. She had just admitted to missing him, and then she suddenly accepts them being friends? That seemed a little fishy…

"So…" Rachel whistled. "As friends, did you want to go to a movie tomorrow?"

Percy was smart enough to know that there was no such thing as "going to the movies as friends."

"Yeah, sure. I'll see if Annabeth wants to come," he said smoothly. He mentally applauded himself for such quick and smart thinking.

Rachel's face grew emotionless. "Annabeth…?"

"My fiancée."

"Right. Yeah, you should totally see if she can come."

"I'll ask her when I get the chance."

Rachel nodded tersely. "Okay then. I guess I should go…I'll see you later."

"See you."

Percy sighed and rubbed his head as he plopped down in his leather chair again.

_Great,_ he thought,_ another blast from the past._

Rachel, meanwhile, entered the elevator with a scowl on her face.

_Fine,_ she thought, _bring your fiancée. We'll just see exactly how strong your guys' relationship is._

* * *

******I lite****rally debated for days whether or not to use Rachel as the antagonist. I like Rachel. I really do. But in the books she had always been a thorn in Annabeth's side, so that's why I use her as the "problem" in some of my Percabeth fics. Eventually I just said "Screw it!" and wrote it using her. If you don't like it, well then that's your problem. **

**OMG! On the seventeenth I'm leaving town for a week, so I won't be able to udpate! Oh no! This, oddly enough, brings me to my next subject: the ending of this story. There are only about six chapters left, and what I'm asking you to do is REVIEW and let me know if I should do a sequel to this story. I have a good idea of what it would be about, so I just need to know if people would read it.**

**So review and let me know about the sequel! Also, please try not to flame my using Rachel, because I just KNOW some people are going to try...**

**Thanks for reading!**

**-Akatsuki Child**


	16. The Jealousy Intensifies

**Oh wow...you guys continue to amaze me. I almost have four hundred reviews. Let's see if we can get it! I won't be able to update until two weeks :( So, savor the chapter! :D This is the longest chapter, so I hope it'll hold you guys over.**

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own PJO!**

* * *

**The Jealousy Intensifies **

During lunch hour, Annabeth decided to go see Percy. She went to the small bakery they went to after they first met and bought another chocolate cake. She just had a feeling she would need it. She also figured it would make Percy happy.

She walked into the building with the cake in hand, only to get ran into by some woman with frizzy red hair.

"Sorry," she mumbled before stalking off angrily. Annabeth huffed, but continued on her way. She got in the elevator and went to the tippy top floor. The doors opened and she walked out and into the office of a Mr. Percy Jackson.

She smiled upon seeing him. "Hi, Percy," she greeted.

Despite the headache, Percy grinned in return. "Hey. What're you doing here?"

"I thought I'd drop by and surprise you." She walked around his desk and bent down to give him a kiss.

"Hmm…" Percy hummed. "I needed that…"

Annabeth raised a brow, finally noticing the stress in his eyes and his tired expression. "Are you okay?" she asked.

Percy sighed. "Not really."

"What's wrong?"

"Headache."

Annabeth nodded once before slowly running her hands through his hair, massaging his scalp. He instantly relaxed and practically melted against her. His hands subconsciously wrapped around her waist and pulled her closer.

"Something else happened today, too," Percy mumbled.

"And what was that?"

He told her about Rachel and how she came to see him.

"Rachel and I dated back in college. We went through a bit of a messy break-up, and we did kind of become friends after that, but then when I moved here to Manhattan, we didn't talk and then she came back and…yeah…" Percy trailed off, feeling awkward.

Annabeth's hands had slowly become hurtful instead of soothing, and Percy, wincing a bit, glanced up at his fiancée to see her glaring at the space above his head.

Right now, Annabeth was feeling: angry, curious, and above all, _jealous_. It was more over because this Rachel girl had just come out of nowhere, expecting he would come back to her.

And besides, Percy was marrying her now. So maybe Annabeth was a little protective of Percy, but so what? They were engaged; she had a right to be overprotective.

"Uh, Annabeth?" Percy said, breaking her out of her reverie. He grabbed her wrists and brought them down in front of her away from his head (you know in case she, like, wanted to strangle him…). "Are you okay?"

"Fine," she answered curtly.

"But, um…there's something else…"

Annabeth's eyes narrowed.

"She wants to go to a movie tomorrow, and I said I would ask if you wanted to come. Maybe Thalia and Luke could come too…" Percy started rambling after seeing the pissed-off look she held. "I mean, the more the merrier!"

He chuckled nervously. She sighed. "Fine. I'll see if they want to come."

He bit back a smile at the look on her face and instead pulled her down for another kiss. She couldn't help the smile that spread across her face.

"So what's that?" Percy asked, nodding towards the package on his desk.

She grinned. "It's a chocolate cake."

"You're not going to smash it in my face again, are you?" he asked warily.

She laughed. "No. I brought it to share with you. I had a feeling you'd need it today, and I was right."

Percy smiled. Annabeth pulled out two plastic forks and handed one to Percy, and the two began to share the delicious chocolate cake.

But even though they were sharing the treat that made Annabeth melt inside, she couldn't shake off the jealous feeling.

Poseidon is usually a comical guy, whether it's cracking jokes or being over dramatic. However, you could really tell that Percy was his son because today Poseidon was laidback, calm, and collective, only cracking a joke here and there.

The reason for this? He was just really happy for his son, and when he was really happy, he liked to show it with a big smile on his face instead of screaming it from the rooftops (though it _was_ tempting).

"Morning, Mr. Jackson," Percy's secretary, Julie, greeted.

"Morning," he grinned back.

"You're in a good mood today…" She raised a brow.

"Just happy for my son."

Julie bit her lip, her face suddenly becoming serious.

Poseidon blinked. "What's wrong?"

"Um…I think there's something you should know…" She told him about Rachel's arrival.

Poseidon's face became steel, emotionless. He remembered Rachel with her marker-stained jeans, oversized t-shirts, and red, frizzy hair. He could never forget that hair. It was so…frizzy.

"Thank you for telling me," he said gratefully. "Now, I need to go have a chat with my son."

When he opened the door to Percy's office, he saw Percy and Annabeth sharing a cake, and he couldn't help but smile.

Percy and Annabeth glared at him, and Poseidon felt a shiver run down his spine.

"Hi, Dad," Percy ground out. "What are you doing here?"

"Just thought I'd drop by to say hi…"

Percy narrowed his eyes. "Uh-huh. Sure."

"Well," Annabeth spoke up. "I have to go back to work." She turned and gave Percy a kiss on the cheek, and Poseidon grinned to himself. Annabeth turned around and glared at Poseidon before stalking out the door.

Poseidon chuckled a bit, but then he turned to Percy with a somber expression.

"Son, is it true?" he asked.

"Is what true?" Percy replied.

"Is Rachel back?"

Percy sighed. "Yeah, she is."

"And does Annabeth know?"

"Of course. I just told her a few minutes ago."

"And she knows you guys dated, right?"

"Yes."

Poseidon sighed in relief, though there was still some worry on his mind. He didn't want a rift growing between Annabeth and Percy again now that they were finally getting along. He was worried Rachel had something up her sleeve. Poseidon figured his son wouldn't do anything to hurt Annabeth and vice versa, but from what Mike had told him, Annabeth could get very jealous, and that made him worry even more. If Annabeth started getting mad, Percy would get mad, and then they'd start fighting, and their plan would go to waste. Poseidon did not risk his well being multiple times just to have it all go down the drain.

"Look, Dad," Percy said, leaning back in his chair. "You don't have to worry. I'm not going to go back to Rachel. There was a reason I broke up with her. I'm not going to leave Annabeth like that."

Poseidon stared at his son. Yes, he looked tired, but there was also an air of happiness to him. There was an aurora of calm and peacefulness about him that had never been there before. He looked healthier, like all that stress in the last month had actually been beneficial to him.

_Hmm…_ Poseidon thought.

"Percy?"

"Hmm?"

"Are you in love with Annabeth?"

Percy choked on his spit. Poseidon raised a brow as he watched Percy cough and wheeze.

"What?" Percy asked, breathless.

"Are you in love with Annabeth?" he asked again.

"No! I mean…I've only known her for a month. And besides I don't…I'm not…" Percy trailed off, unsure of what to say.

"Alright, alright, calm down." Poseidon held his hands up in a 'slow down' motion. "I was just curious. Don't worry about it."

Percy let out a deep breath and scratched his neck, embarrassed.

"Well, I'm going back to my old office," Poseidon stated upon seeing Percy's flustered state.

Percy nodded, and Poseidon left. Percy groaned and rubbed his head.

_Tomorrow is going to be interesting…_

Annabeth had half an hour to get back to work, but she left Percy early because she didn't want to look fine and happy for thirty minutes.

Annabeth Chase was not 'fine and happy' right now. She was pissed off, and not because Percy had an ex-girlfriend (she would have been surprised if he didn't), but because his ex had come back for him, and then Percy just took it so calmly.

So yes, Annabeth was jealous. She believed she had a right to be. Percy was her fiancé.

But that's where she was doubting herself. Technically, Percy _wasn't_ her fiancé. Technically, they had been forced into this, and even though they had been threatened with their jobs, they could walk out of it at any time.

Annabeth was jealous because she knew that if Percy so desired, he could walk away from all of this and live a life with _Rachel. _Plus, if Percy left, her dad's company wouldn't be saved, and she wouldn't be able to stand that.

There was, however, another reason why Annabeth thought she was jealous, but she didn't want to think about. She was afraid to.

Instead, she went to the coffee shop near her workplace and pulled out her cell-phone. She dialed Thalia's number.

"Helllllooooo?" Thalia answered.

"Hey," Annabeth replied.

"What's wrong?" Thalia asked, recognizing her tone of voice.

"I need to talk to you. Do you think you could meet me somewhere?"

"Of course."

"Thanks so much."

"No prob. See you."

"Bye."

Annabeth sighed and pocketed her phone. She got up from her spot in a coffee shop and ordered a coffee. Usually she'd get a muffin to go on the side, but her appetite was gone.

Thalia arrived five minutes later and sat down across from Annabeth in a booth in the far corner.

Thalia took in Annabeth's angry expression. "What happened?"

Right when Thalia spoke those words, everything poured out of Annabeth. She told Thalia about everything that had happened ever since the dinner party—from their fight at the party, to the island in Cancun, to now with the Rachel Elizabeth Dare.

Thalia remained silent for a while. She stared at the table, tracing the wooden patterns in the table. She was trying to find the words to say. Truthfully, she was speechless. This kind of stuff happened to people during their lifetime, not in less than a month.

Thalia took a deep breath and let it rush out. "Well," she started. "That's definitely…big."

"I just…I feel so stressed out, and with this Rachel girl back…" Annabeth shook her head.

"You're jealous," Thalia stated.

"Of course I am. If he walked out of our engagement for her, my dad would lose his company."

"That's true, but is that really the reason why you're jealous?" Thalia raised a brow.

Annabeth swallowed hard. "Yes," she squeaked out.

Thalia just gave her a look that said 'don't-give-me-that-shit.' "Annabeth, I've known you since middle school. Do you honestly think you can lie to me like that?"

Annabeth sighed. "No, but I was hoping I could."

"So what's the real reason that you're jealous?"

Annabeth remained silent. She took a sip of her coffee.

"Come on, Annabeth. The sooner you say it, the easier it'll be."

Annabeth took a deep breath and let it out. Staring at the table, her throat dry, she opened her mouth to speak. "I…"

"Yes?"

"I think I'm…"

"Uh-huh?"

"_I think I'm falling in love with Percy."_

At around five 'o' clock when work was ending, Mike heard a knock on his door and he looked to see Poseidon step in.

"Mike," Poseidon nodded.

"Poseidon," Mike replied slowly. "What are you doing here?"

"I need to tell you about something…or rather, some_one_."

"Um, okay."

He told Mike about Rachel and her overly frizzy hair.

"Okay, and why are you telling me this?"

"Because she's back for Percy, and I'm afraid it'll mess with his and Annabeth's relationship."

"Do they even have a relationship?"

"Well…no…but they will soon as long as Rachel doesn't interfere."

"So then we make sure she stays away."

"But see here's the thing: him, Rachel, and Annabeth are going to a movie together. Now if that doesn't spell disaster, I don't know what does."

"You're right. I think we should follow them and go under cover!"

"Exactly what I was thinking." Poseidon smirked.

The next day, at six 'o' clock in the evening, Rachel stood in front of the movie theater, waiting for Percy and Annabeth. She was curious as to what Annabeth was like, despite being distasteful of her.

After a few minutes, the two showed up, only there was someone else with them. It was another girl, and she had dark hair and freckles on her face.

Annabeth's hands clenched at the sight of Rachel, and Thalia gripped Annabeth's arm to keep her from lashing out. Percy had his arm wrapped around Annabeth's shoulders, but he could tell she was tense.

"Hi, Rachel," Percy greeted.

"Hey," she replied nonchalantly, glancing at Annabeth and Thalia curiously.

"This is my fiancée Annabeth, and this is Thalia Grace, her friend."

Thalia gave a small smile, and Annabeth forced a strained smile.

"Hi," Annabeth ground out, crossing her arms.

"Hey," Rachel replied. An awkward and tense silence fell over them.

"Er, let's go watch the movie…" Thalia muttered.

"Oh, Percy!" Rachel suddenly exclaimed, grabbing his arm and pulling him towards the door. "I wanted to ask you something…"

Percy glanced back at Annabeth as Rachel pulled him inside. He asked her with his eyes to help, but she just glared fiercely at him. Thalia glared at him too and hooked her arm through Annabeth's and the two followed them inside the theater.

"What movie should we go to?" Rachel asked Percy.

"What do you want to see, Annabeth?" Percy asked Annabeth, grabbing her hand. Rachel glared slightly at Annabeth.

Annabeth gripped Percy's hand tightly. He winced, and he realized she was way beyond pissed; she was _furious_.

And they had only been here for five minutes.

"Let's just see a comedy. I need to laugh," she said bitterly.

Percy sighed softly and pulled her closer to his side. He reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet and bought the tickets.

"Thanks for buying my ticket, Percy," Rachel said flirtatiously.

"No problem," Percy smiled slightly.

Annabeth huffed and tried to pull her hand free, but Percy's grip tightened, refusing to let her go.

"Why don't you guys go get seats and Annabeth and I will get some snacks," Percy suggested. Thalia wrinkled her nose in disgust and Rachel pursed her lips, but they mumbled their consent and disappeared into the theater.

Once they were in, Percy pulled Annabeth to an empty hallway.

"What are you doing?" Annabeth asked harshly, but Percy didn't answer. Instead, he leaned down and gave her a big kiss, grabbing her head in his hands. Annabeth relaxed instantly and latched onto his shirt. After a while, he pulled back and rested his head on her forehead.

"What was that for?" Annabeth asked.

"You need to relax," Percy said. Annabeth tried to pull away, but he grabbed onto her waist and held her close. "I'm not leaving you, so just calm down."

Annabeth felt herself flush. Was her anger and jealously that noticeable?

Annabeth sighed. "It's not that easy, Percy."

"Why not?" he asked softly.

Annabeth bit her tongue. She had to be careful. She couldn't tell him that she was falling in love with him.

"Look, it's nothing. Let's just get through this movie and go home."

Percy stared at her for a second, trying to figure out what she was hiding.

_Are you in love with Annabeth?_

His dad's question popped up in his head suddenly. He froze.

"Percy?" Annabeth asked worriedly. "Are you okay?"

He blinked out of his reverie. "Yup, yup. I'm fine," he mumbled. He pulled her in and gave her a hug. When they pulled apart, he gave her a smile. "Let's get this over with."

The two went to get some popcorn, pop, and candy, and then they went in the theater to locate Thalia and Rachel.

Meanwhile, two men entered the same theater a couple minutes after Percy.

Mike and Poseidon spotted Percy, Thalia, Rachel, and Annabeth sitting in the second row right in the middle of the theater. The two sat down two rows behind them, making sure to keep a good eye on Rachel.

Of course, the two had on disguises so they wouldn't get caught. Mike was wearing thick glasses with a low hat and raggedy clothes. Poseidon decided to go more "mission impossible" by wearing a false mustache and a pair of dark sunglasses. It didn't fit in with the setting (sunglasses in a movie theater? I think not…) but it made Poseidon feel like a badass on a mission, so Mike didn't object.

And so, with their disguises on and their popcorn in hand to throw at Rachel, they sat back and observed the group.

The seating situation for the four was very interesting. See, when Annabeth and Percy had met up with them, Thalia and Rachel were sitting with two seats between them. Percy didn't want to sit by Rachel, but he didn't want Annabeth sitting by her either, so he sacrificed himself and sat beside Rachel.

Annabeth scowled and plopped down beside Percy and Thalia. Percy immediately grabbed her hand, but she shook him off and crossed her arms defiantly.

Rachel then practically stole the popcorn and leaned over Percy's arm chair and started talking to Percy. Though Percy didn't want to talk to her, he wanted to be polite and responded to her.

This just made Annabeth angry, though, and his little "pep talk" earlier seemed like crap now. So, she did the only thing that seemed right: she ignored him.

And with that, the movie continued, and Annabeth had the worst night of her life. Thalia smiled reassuringly at her, but Annabeth just glared at the screen, completely missing what the whole movie was about.

One time during the movie, Rachel leaned over too far and her hand touched Percy's thigh. Annabeth tensed, but then someone threw popcorn at Rachel and she blinked and leaned back completely in her seat.

Annabeth sighed in relief and Percy thanked God that someone had done that. Curious, he turned around to see who could have possibly done it. He saw two guys two rows behind them that looked suspicious, but they were laughing and staring at the screen, so it couldn't have been them.

_Meh,_ Percy thought with a shrug. _At least it got her off my back._

Finally, after what seemed like hours, the movie finally ended. The four stood up and stretched their arms.

"So do you guys want to go eat?" Rachel asked.

"No," Annabeth cut in. "It's getting late. We're going home."

"Why don't you let them speak for themselves." Rachel glared. Annabeth glared back.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Percy said nervously, cutting in between them so they couldn't attack each other. "Look, Rachel, it _is_ getting late. I want to go home and get some rest."

"Besides," Thalia cut in. "I have my own fiancé to go home to."

"You're engaged?" Rachel asked incredulously.

Thalia glared harshly. "Yeah, I am. Got a problem with that?"

"Nope, nope."

"Good. See you guys later. Bye Annabeth," she said, patting Annabeth on the shoulder.

Annabeth nodded in thanks and then turned back to the _problem_.

"Fine then," Rachel said. "I'll just see you guys later." And then she walked off down the street and disappeared around the corner.

"That was weird," Percy mumbled. He glanced down at Annabeth to find her still glaring at the sidewalk. "You see, that wasn't that bad," Percy said pathetically.

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "Let's just go home," she replied.

Percy nodded and grabbed her hand and she didn't try to pull away. The two got a cab and went home. When they got home and were getting ready for bed, Annabeth stood in front of Percy, who was standing in front of the couch.

She was staring down at her hands in front of her as she asked, "Um…Percy?"

"Yeah?" he replied.

"Um, this will sound kind of weird, but…will you sleep with me tonight…in my room?"

She glanced up to see his shocked expression. Percy never thought he'd be sleeping in the same bed as her even when they were married.

How could he refuse?

"Uh, sure," he muttered. She smiled a bit and led the way to her room.

When they entered her room, she climbed onto the bed and snuggled under the covers. Percy hesitated, and Annabeth rolled her eyes.

"Come on, Seaweed Brain," she mumbled. "I'm not going to bite."

Percy glared slightly before climbing in under the covers.

The two lay there, side by side, staring at the ceiling. An awkward silence fell on them as they listened to each other's breathing. Finally, Annabeth sighed and turned onto her side so she was facing Percy.

"We're not going to be seeing Rachel anytime soon, right?"

Percy chuckled and out of habit pulled her closer. She rested her head on his shoulder.

"I don't think so," he replied.

She yawned and snuggled closer. "Good."

Percy sighed happily, and after a few moments, he fell into a blissful sleep.

* * *

**:D**

**Percabeth fluff. I love it. **

**So, good news: there will be a sequel! I'm sure it won't be posted for a while (maybe a couple months), but that's because I want to get a headstart on it because my idea for the sequel isn't very rock solid so I want to make sure it works out alright.**

**Thanks for reading and review please! Let's get that four hundred mark!**

**-Akatsuki Child**


	17. Annabeth Goes for a Swim

**Helllooo everyone! I'm back from my week long break! Yay! HOLY CRAP! 434 reviews! Crap, guys! You're amazing! I came home with 151 unread messages in my inbox. It was awesome :D Perhaps we can get 500? That would be so awesome. **

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own PJO!**

* * *

**Annabeth Goes For a Swim**

Annabeth woke up that morning to the sound of the shower running in the bathroom. She flipped over on the bed to see that Percy was, indeed, gone. She stretched and yawned before sitting up, her hair stuck to one side of her head. Today was a Saturday (to which Annabeth was grateful) and all she wanted to do was relax, but Rachel's arrival was still heavy on her mind. After realizing that she was falling for Percy, how was she supposed to relax knowing Rachel was around?

Annabeth groaned and fell back against the fluff that was her pillows. She heard the door creak open and she looked up to see Percy walking in wearing jeans and a black t-shirt, his hair glistening from the water. Annabeth felt butterflies flutter in her stomach at the sight of him.

"Oh," Percy spoke. "You're up."

"Uh, yeah," Annabeth replied, sitting up again. "I just woke up."

Percy nodded and went to sit beside her. "So, what are your plans for today?"

"Sit around and do nothing."

"Hmm…" Percy hummed, taking her hand. "That sounds like fun and all, but what if I asked you to go to the carnival with me?"

Annabeth blinked. _Well that was unexpected…_she thought. Then she smirked a bit. "Percy Jackson, are you asking me out on a date?"

"More or less, yeah." He smiled.

"Well then, I guess I have to accept." She smiled back. Percy grinned, causing her heart to skip a beat.

"Go get ready, then!" he exclaimed happily. Annabeth nodded, smiling, and disappeared in the bathroom.

Percy continued to grin as he got up and went to the kitchen to have some breakfast. He poured some cereal into a bowl and munched on it happily. Right when he finished, he heard the shower turn off in the bathroom, and he heard the door open. He being Percy glanced down the hallway and caught a glimpse of Annabeth, still wet and only covered with a towel.

Percy blushed and swallowed dryly. He quickly averted his gaze to the empty bowl in front of him. He put it in the sink and sat on the couch to watch some TV while he waited.

Annabeth, meanwhile, was dressing in the bedroom. She slipped on some shorts and one of her plaid button down shirts. She went into the bathroom to fix her hair. She put on a little make up and went to Percy, grabbing her heels on the way to him.

Percy stood up upon seeing her and shut the TV off. He raised a brow at the heels in her hand. "You're still going to wear heels?" he asked incredulously.

"Yes," Annabeth said a bit defensively. "So what? I like wearing heels."

"You know I never noticed how short you are without heels…" Percy trailed off, finally realizing the difference in their height. She barely came up to his chest, but with the heels she reached his chin.

Annabeth pouted slightly. "I'm not _that_ short. You're just too tall."

And it was then that Percy realized six foot was pretty tall. Granted, he barely reached the six foot mark...

"Anyways, are you ready?" he asked.

"Yup. Let's go!"

The two walked the nine blocks to the carnival. When they reached block seven, the smells and sounds of a carnival hit Annabeth, and she couldn't help but smile. She hadn't been to a carnival since she was a little kid, and she was actually really excited.

It was actually pretty strange for Manhattan to have a 'come-and-go' carnival since it had quite a few amusement parks. However, the difference was this carnival was more of the traditional rides: roller coasters, Ferris Wheels, super shots, etc. Also, they had the cheap games where if you shoot the duck, you win a prize for your date.

Annabeth couldn't help but chuckle lightly at the thought. It was so high school, but it was so fun.

"Here we are!" Percy stated, holding his arms out wide. He clapped his hands together and turned to her. "What do you want to do first?"

Annabeth smirked. "Let's go on the roller coaster."

Percy grinned back. "Roller coaster it is, then."

He grabbed her hand and led her through the maze of people to the ticket booth to get some wristbands so they could ride rides all day. He then led her to the roller coaster line. The ride looked amazing. It started off with a huge lift that then dropped to wind around the street in twists and turns.

"Next," the Carnie said, opening the gate. Percy and Annabeth piled in and sat in one cart. The guy came down to make sure they were all buckled in, and then they were off. They shot out onto the track and went up the ramp. They finally reached the top, and then they rushed down, twisting and turning around the street. Annabeth laughed as her hair whipped around. She gripped the handlebar tightly, and Percy just grinned.

"Having fun?" he shouted over the whip of the wind.

"You bet!" Annabeth replied. After another minute, the ride stopped and the two stepped off on slightly shaky legs.

Annabeth sighed. "That was fun."

Percy just grinned. "Want to do it again?"

"Heck yes."

The two went on it again, and then they went on some other rides, just enjoying what the carnival had to offer. They decided to go play some games when someone called for Percy.

"Percy? Is that you?"

The two looked behind them to see the one and only Rachel with her red, frizzy hair.

"What a coincidence…" Annabeth mumbled darkly. Her happy mood immediately dropped upon seeing her.

"Just try to be nice," Percy pleaded. Annabeth just huffed.

_Why the hell is he so nice to her? _She thought irritably.

"Hey Rachel," Percy greeted.

"What are you guys doing here?" she asked Percy, barely glancing at Annabeth.

"We're on a date," Annabeth cut in, grabbing Percy's hand and smirking slightly.

Rachel glared at her and crossed her arms. "Hi, Annabeth," she said tersely.

"Rachel," Annabeth replied just as snarkily.

"Uh, guys…" Percy cut in. He was worried they would start attacking each other. "Calm down. What are you doing here, Rachel?"

"I was here on a date, but the jerk left me."

"I wonder why…" Annabeth mumbled. Rachel, thank God, didn't hear it, but Percy did. He nudged her slightly.

"That's too bad. Why don't you hang with us?"

Annabeth stared at Percy incredulously. Whatever happened to their date?

"Really? I'd love to!" Rachel exclaimed. Annabeth switched her gaze to Rachel, a feeling of helplessness over washing her. "Let's go play some games!" Rachel said, pulling Percy's arm.

Annabeth glared at her as Percy stepped back to grab Annabeth's hand. The three walked to the first booth, which was a throwing booth.

"Make three baskets and win a prize!" The Carnie there called out. "You sir," he said, pointing at Percy. "You look like you have a good throwing arm. Want to take a shot and win something for your ladies?"

"Sure. Why not?" Percy replied. He stepped up and took the basket ball.

"You have five tries to get three baskets. Good luck!"

Percy shot the first one and missed.

"Ooh…why don't you try again?"

He made it.

"Ding, ding, ding!"

Percy shot his third basket and made it.

"Yes, yes, yes! One more, man!"

Percy missed his fourth shot.

"Dude," the Carnie said to Annabeth. "This is the most intense action I've seen all day."

Annabeth raised a brow.

"Okay, dude, you have to get this one…or it's no prize for the ladies. Can you do it?"

Percy narrowed his eyes. "Watch me."

Percy shot his final basket. The four watched in amazement as it ran along the rim twice before sinking in.

"We have a winner!" the Carnie announced, ringing a bell beside him. "Pick a prize, sir, any prize!"

Percy decided to get a big teddy bear and he gave it to Annabeth. Cheesy, but cute.

Annabeth smiled. "Thanks." She glanced at Rachel, who was glaring at her, and smirked.

"Well done, sir, well done!" the Carnie said to Percy. "Now who's next?"

Percy, Annabeth, and Rachel continued on.

"That was really cool, Percy," Rachel said, smiling. Annabeth rolled her eyes.

"Thanks, Rachel," Percy replied. "Where should we go next?"

"Let's go to the shooting one," Rachel suggested.

"Okay. Is that alright with you, Annabeth?"

She just glared at him.

"I'll take that as a yes…"

The three walked to the shooting booth, where they had to shoot all the rubber ducks in thirty seconds.

"I got this one," Rachel said. She stepped up and took the gun.

"Thirty seconds," the Carnie said dramatically. "And…start!"

Rachel took aim and fired immediately. She kept hitting them, and Annabeth was mildly surprised. She was also a little scared that she was that good with a gun.

Rachel was down to three ducks. "You're going down," she whispered. She fired and shot one down. Two left. She shot it, leaving one more. Just as she took aim and was about to fire, the Carnie said, "Time!"

Rachel blinked, surprised she hadn't finished.

"Better luck next time," the Carnie said, taking the gun.

"That's too bad," Annabeth told Rachel, an edge of sarcasm to her voice. "You'll get it next time."

Rachel glared hard at her. "What the hell is your problem? You're being a jerk."

"My problem is your always flirting with my fiancé," Annabeth replied, glaring back. "You're his ex. Just leave him alone."

"What if he wants to hang out with me? Are you going to stop him?"

"No, but I highly doubt that. Why would he want to hang out with you if he broke up with you so long ago?"

Rachel growled and shoved Annabeth in the shoulder. Annabeth almost fell down, but she caught her balance and stared incredulously at Rachel. Rachel just smirked.

"Stop it!" Percy exclaimed. "Fighting's not the answer!"

"Shut up, Percy!" they both yelled. Percy blinked.

Annabeth threw the huge teddy bear at Rachel. This surprised Rachel, and she got smacked in the face by the bear. Annabeth smirked, but then Rachel ran and tackled her.

"Oh my God!" Percy exclaimed. "Ladies! Calm down!"

"What the hell?" Annabeth yelled, shoving Rachel off.

"Bitch!" Rachel yelled back. Now they had the attention of some surrounding people and the Carnies.

Rachel shoved Annabeth again, and Annabeth lost her balance and fell over…

…into a tank of water.

She was completely submerged for a few seconds before coming up, gasping for breath. Rachel stared, shocked. She hadn't meant to do that…

"Annabeth!" Percy exclaimed. "Are you okay?"

He reached his hand out to help her, but Annabeth just glared at him. She grabbed his hand but then pulled him down into the water with her. Then, with what dignity she had left, she climbed out of the tank, dripping water everywhere. She didn't even pause to glare at Rachel.

Instead, she just squeezed the water out of her hair and tried not to cry as she made her way home alone.

* * *

**:O**

**Oh dear. Not again.**

**Anyways, I had an awesome time at my friend's cabin. We flirted with a lot of boys. It was amazing. Oh, and I got to see Jacob Black shirtless again :D He is soooo yummy. **

**I had an...interesting dream last night. I dreamt that I was Percy and there was a huge battle going on, and I helped Annabeth and a few other people to safety before going off to fight, and before I left I was like "Is there anything you want to tell me before I go?" and she was like, "No, but I want to give you this." And then we made out. It was hot. Lol just kidding. It was just really funny. :D **

**Review please! Only four more chapters left :'(**

**-Akatsuki Child**


	18. Shocking Sights Can Cause Heartaches

**I tried updating last night, but in the last two days I read a book series (The Mediator-six books) and my brain is fried. I finished with it yesterday (great series-hot guys, humor, drama, and romance) and I was so tired and loopy (like I said, fried brain), it was really hard to focus on anything. But, after about twelve hours of sleep, I feel refreshed!**

**You will all hate me for this chapter. I can (almost) guarantee it. Yup, Rachel's in this one, but it's the last time she'll be medling with Percy and Annabeth. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own PJO!**

* * *

**Shocking Sights Can Cause Heartaches**

"Annabeth?"

Silence.

"Annabeth, please let me talk to you."

"Go away."

Percy sighed from outside Annabeth's room. He was still wet from his quick swim, and he was dripping onto the carpet, creating a small puddle around his feet.

After Annabeth had gotten out of the tank at the carnival, she had stomped home, leaving a trail of water on the sidewalk and leaving Percy with Rachel. He had ditched Rachel and ran home to find Annabeth locked in her room.

And so now, he was trying to get her out so he could apologize (even though it really wasn't his fault).

"Look, I'm sorry—"

"It's not your fault, Percy," Annabeth cut in. "This is all Rachel's fault. All she does is flirt with you, even though you're engaged."

"But this isn't a real engagement…"

Annabeth bit the inside of her cheek to stop herself from saying something stupid.

"Annabeth, are you jealous of Rachel?"

She felt herself get mad, even though, truth be told, she was a bit jealous. "Why would I be jealous of some frizzy, red-head idiot?"

Percy remained silent. Why was he disappointed about her answer? Why did he want her to be jealous of Rachel? It was really weird, and it only confused him greatly.

He heard her sigh. "Percy, I just want to be alone for a while."

Percy just said "okay" and then he went into the living room and sat on the couch despite his wet apparel.

_Are you in love with Annabeth?_

That damn question popped in his head again, angering him slightly. How could he be in love with Annabeth? How could you fall in love with someone after only two months?

Besides, she was stubborn and sarcastic and witty and smart and beautiful…

Dammit all!

_No,_ Percy thought stubbornly. _I'm not in love with her, and that's it!_

The weekend passed by and things only got even worse between the two. Annabeth fell into a sort of tense/snappy state. Whenever Percy tried to talk to her, she just brushed him off or snapped at him. Percy tried to be nice to her so he could figure out what was going on, but he was confused himself about his own feelings. So, to sum it all up, the two tried to stay away from each other.

Then Monday came, and it was back to work. They were going to work with Mike and Poseidon today, which only made it worse on their part.

After getting ready in the morning, the two got a cab that would take them to Swanson Architectural Company. In the cab, it was tense as hell. The cab driver was aware of it and he was mildly afraid they would break out into a fight. He was relieved when they arrived at their destination unscathed.

The two stepped into the building, and it seemed like everyone was aware of the tension between them because they steered clear of them. It was kind of like the first day they started working together after they found out they were engaged: they tried to keep the talking to a minimum, and they really just wanted be by themselves.

For Annabeth, it was Rachel that was bothering her. She obviously wasn't trying to be "just friends." Annabeth could tell Rachel was trying to get him back. Anyone could see that. Except for Percy.

Percy was more or less dwelling on his feelings right now. He was trying to figure out what he was feeling, because it was definitely _not_ love. No, it had to be something else. But what?

The two stepped into the elevator, and the awkward silence ensued when the doors shut. It felt like the tension between them was being trapped inside the elevator, making it more evident.

Percy sighed. "Annabeth—"

Percy didn't get a chance to say what he wanted to say because the doors opened and she abruptly walked away from him. Percy blinked and sighed again, only this time it was done in anger. He followed her into Mike's office, where he and Poseidon were waiting.

Right away, the two older men noticed how Annabeth glared at anything and everything and Percy's angry expression. They exchanged worried glances. They felt like they could just whip out a pocket knife and cut the anxiety between them because it was so obvious. They didn't even make an attempt to seem fine, and that was bad.

"Uh," Poseidon started. "Are you guys alright?"

"Perfect," Annabeth snapped.

Poseidon swallowed. _Well this is going to be a fun day…_

After a few hours of working (more like suggesting something, glaring, writing it down, glaring some more, and snapping at someone), they decided to take a lunch break.

When Annabeth and Percy left, Mike sighed. "Thank God," he said. "I thought I was going to choke on the anger between them."

"Yeah…" Poseidon mumbled, staring out the window. "But the question is why are they angry at each other?"

"I bet it had something to do with Rachel."

"You're probably right."

"So what do we do?"

Poseidon sighed. "Honestly, I don't think there's anything we can do. I think they have to sort this one out on their own."

"And what if they can't? What if they end up hating each other for the rest of their lives?"

"Then…our plan goes to waste."

"I'm going to meet up with Thalia and Luke," Annabeth announced to Percy before starting to walk down the street.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Percy protested, grabbing her wrist and spinning her around. "You can't just write me off like that."

She glared at him. "Let go of me, Percy."

"Not until you tell me why you're so angry today."

"I already told you yesterday."

"This is still about Rachel?"

"So what? And what's up with you today? Why are you acting like a complete asshole?"

Percy clamped his mouth shut. He wasn't about to admit that he was having a serious 'what am I feeling?' crisis.

The two continued to stare each other down as Annabeth waited for Percy to answer, but he never did.

She rolled her eyes. "You can't even tell me why you're mad, and yet you're yelling at _me?_" She shook her head and yanked her wrist out of his grip. "I'll see you later, Percy."

Percy growled in frustration and turned to stomp back into the building. He got a few scared and worried glances from workers and secretaries. He went to the elevator and punched the button with more force than was necessary.

_That woman…_He growled again._ She just knows how to rub me the wrong way._

Annabeth walked down the street, her heels clicking against the sidewalk. She actually wasn't going to see Thalia and Luke. She just wanted to get away from Percy. Heck, anywhere was better than being with Percy right now. So maybe she loved him, but right now he was annoying as hell.

Annabeth decided to just grab a cookie and a coffee from the coffee shop down the block. She sat down in a booth and sighed. She actually was curious to know why Percy was acting strange today. Plus, it was weird how he shut up like a clam when they had their little fight earlier.

She sighed again. Damn, things were getting complicated.

Annabeth went back to work about fifteen minutes later and found Mike, Poseidon, and Percy waiting for her in the office. Percy glared at her when she walked in, and Annabeth glared back with equal force.

The four continued to work, but they didn't get very far because Percy and Annabeth kept fighting over stupid things like "that's a dumb idea" and "why put it out that far?" It was really time consuming when they had their spats, and Poseidon could only worry more while Mike sighed.

_Finally_, after many hours of "hard" work, the four called it a day.

Meanwhile, Percy quickly went downstairs to use the copy machine so he could make a few copies of an important paper. After getting his copies, Percy went to the elevator, but when they opened, he found himself face to face with Rachel Elizabeth Dare.

_Goddamn…_he thought. _It's like she's stalking me…_

"Rachel? What are you doing here?" he asked, a hint of anger marring his voice.

"I came to talk to you," she replied as he stepped into the elevator.

"About what?"

"Annabeth."

Percy immediately became defensive. "What about her?"

"I just think she overreacted to the whole water thing on Saturday."

"Um, you pushed her into a tank of water. I think she has a right to be mad."

Rachel sighed. "I really miss your sarcasm, Percy."

Percy shifted uncomfortably. "Uh…"

She suddenly wrapped her arms around his neck. "I really want you back, Percy."

"Rachel, I've told you before—"

He was cut off by her lips on his. He was too shocked to do anything at first, but then when he did want to do something, it was too late.

The elevator dinged open, and standing before the doors was Annabeth.

She looked up in shock. Sadness washed over her like a hurricane and it felt like someone just punched her in the gut.

Percy shoved Rachel away. "Annabeth, it's not what it looks like!"

"I'll just…take the stairs…" Annabeth mumbled pathetically. She quickly turned and rushed towards the stairs, wiping away the few tears that had fallen.

"Dammit, Rachel!" Percy growled. He quickly left to follow Annabeth, missing the way Rachel smirked at his retreating form.

"Annabeth! Wait!" he yelled running down the stairs, two steps at a time. When he got out of the stairwell, he saw Annabeth rushing outside. "Annabeth!" he yelled again.

He caught up to her outside. He snagged her around the waist. "Annabeth, stop!"

"Percy, leave me alone!" she yelled back, struggling to get free from his grip. Tears dripped down her face slowly.

"Listen to me! It's not what it seems like!"

"What, like she really didn't have her tongue shoved down your throat? Don't lie to me, Percy!"

"She forced herself on me!"

"You didn't even try to fight her off!"

Annabeth finally shoved him off. "If you want to be with her, Percy, fine. Go ahead. But don't lie to me in the process," she demanded, her voice trembling. Percy was shocked to hear this. Did she really think he wanted Rachel over her?

"Annabeth—!"

"Whatever, Percy. I don't even care. For once, just leave. Me. Alone."

She stomped away, rubbing her eyes, and Percy, feeling helpless like the world was crashing down on him, stood there on the sidewalk, watching her walk away.

* * *

**So do you hate me or what?**

**I realized something a few minutes ago...for the sequel, my guess is it won't come out for a while. I want to have it all written out before I post anything. It's the same thing I did with this story (I told you guys everything was written out, but I don't think anyone was listening to me...D:) and that took me a couple months, and with school starting in a month, it's going to be a little tricky to get it written out. All I'm saying is: don't expect the sequel to come out so soon. **

**Yesterday, I went to the doctor's to get my physical, and I can't even explain to you how much I wished it was Carlisle Cullen checking me. Sigh. **

**Anyways, REVIEW please. Try not to be too harsh...for my mental stability's sake...**

**-raises pillow as shield-**

**-Akatsuki Child**


	19. Why Does It Hurt So Much?

**I've decided to update this story and get it finished with by the weekend, just so I can have this story done with and I can start working on the sequel and other stories (Persistence of Memory, Ten Days, and Death is Life). I actually really like this chapter. It's just a thought chapter and about how they are feeling, but I rather like this chapter :D I hope you do too! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own PJO!**

* * *

**Why Does It Hurt So Much?**

Watching Annabeth run away from him was one of the hardest things Percy had to experience. He wanted to run after her. He wanted to stop her and just scoop her up in his arms and kiss her and tell her that it wasn't his fault, that he wanted her, not Rachel. He wanted to hold her and forget all about Rachel and the companies and work and everything else. But his legs felt like lead. His stomach had dropped to the warm sidewalk. His chest was tight, and it felt like someone was stabbing his heart.

Swallowing the anguish that he felt, he finally mustered the strength to pick up his feet and he started walking home.

This feeling in the pit of his stomach…he had never felt it before. It was so strong. Percy felt like his insides were being flipped inside out and then being stomped on. His heart felt even worse. It felt like it was being squeezed tighter and tighter until he thought it would explode.

_God dammit, _he thought. _Why the hell am I feeling like this? _

The image of Annabeth's hurt expression flashed in his mind. Percy squeezed his eyes shut, trying so hard to erase it from his memory.

_I really fucked up,_ he thought with a long sigh.

When Percy arrived home, he wasn't surprised she was gone. He stared into the silent apartment, the emptiness of it all weighing down on him. He walked over to the counter and found a note.

_Percy—I went to Thalia's house. I'll be staying there for a while. You can stay at the apartment.—Annabeth._

Percy stared at the note, reading it over again. He sighed and walked over to the black leather couch, plopping down on it.

He stared up at the cream colored ceiling. He felt like he could seriously cry.

Why was all of this happening to him? Why did Rachel have to come back anyways? She should have known Percy would have moved on (_he _broke up with _her_).

Percy buried his head in his hands. Right now, his life was so much more complicated than he wanted it to be.

_Why does it hurt this much?_

Was it because he had been hurting her so much lately? Was it the look on her face that made him want to rip his heart out whenever he made her upset?

"_Are you in love with Annabeth?"_

For the first time, Percy didn't try to ignore his dad's question. Instead, he pondered it, and thought for the first time that maybe…just maybe…he was in love with her.

* * *

A few days passed and Annabeth was sitting on the couch in Thalia and Luke's apartment, wallowing in sadness and self-pity. She hadn't moved from that spot since she had first crashed on there, only getting up for food and using the bathroom. She was still so upset and shocked that Percy had done that to her. She couldn't believe he had been two-timing her. Whenever she thought of the incident, she became sick to her stomach. She didn't want anything to do with him. She didn't want to marry him. She didn't care that the companies would fall apart. She wouldn't stand being with him knowing that he liked another girl.

But, dammit, she loved him. And that's what she hated about the situation. She wanted to let him go; she wanted to forget about him and move on with her life and actually find a guy that she got along with. But she still latched onto the single hope that maybe, just maybe, he loved her back and it was all just a big misunderstanding.

Why would it be, though? It made perfect sense to Annabeth that Percy would go off with someone else because their marriage was a scam. Sure, they may have been getting along better and they may have kissed and admitted they liked each other, but the fact of the matter was they weren't really getting married. It was all for the benefit of three companies. They weren't supposed to fall in love. There weren't supposed to be any strings attached.

But now there were. Annabeth loved Percy too much to actually let him go. She hated that she loved him. She wanted to hate his guts and be able to move on with her life. But, somehow, he had weaseled his way into her heart, and she couldn't stop caring for him, no matter how hard she tried.

"Annabeth, you need to get out of the house," Thalia announced, standing in front of the depressed girl. "You've been stuck in here for three days. I know what Percy did was a shitty thing, but you need to let it go and move on."

Annabeth glared at her. "Who's side are you on, mine or his?"

"Yours, of course." Thalia sighed and sat down across from her on the coffee table. "Look, as much as I'd like to punch the crap out of that kid, I really don't think this is his fault. I honestly think Rachel forced herself onto him."

Annabeth didn't say anything.

Thalia continued. "Let me ask you this: would Percy intentionally hurt you like this? You may not see it Annabeth, but he feels for you. He cares about you."

Annabeth let that sink in. It was true—she knew Percy wouldn't hurt her like this. But it was so hard to believe that when you saw the man you loved kissing the girl you hated.

"Just…think it over. Luke and I are going out. Did you want to come?"

Annabeth shook her head. "I don't want to ruin the fun."

Thalia just stared at Annabeth and how much she had changed since meeting Percy. She sighed. "Alright then. I guess we'll see you later tonight."

Annabeth listened as the door opened and closed, leaving her alone in the silent apartment.

_I've never felt so lonely…_

* * *

A week passed. Percy was at work, sitting in his old office again, staring wordlessly out the huge window behind his desk. He missed Annabeth like crazy. She was working with Mike again while his dad worked with him here. He hadn't heard from her since the day…

Percy closed his eyes tight, willing himself to forget about the incident. His fists clenched on top of the arm rests. He felt like crap (and he looked like it, too). He hadn't shaved in a while, so he was sporting more stubble than usual. His clothes were rumpled and he truly looked like a hobo. He was tired and drained mentally and physically.

Suddenly, there was a small knock on the door and it opened to reveal his father.

Percy turned in his chair to face Poseidon.

"How are you doing, Percy?" Poseidon asked softly.

"I've been better," Percy sighed.

"Have you talked to her at all?"

"Are you kidding? I wish I could at least see her again."

Poseidon didn't say anything for a while, and Percy started to get suspicious.

"Just please tell me Rachel was the one to start it," Poseidon pleaded.

Percy couldn't believe it. He abruptly stood up. "Do you honestly believe I would go back to Rachel? Do really think I would hurt Annabeth intentionally? Dammit, I care for her too much to do that!" Percy exclaimed, slamming his hands on the desk.

Poseidon didn't even blink at his outburst. "I just wanted to make sure."

"Yeah? Well I'm starting to get sick of people not trusting me."

"You really do care for her?"

Percy glared. "More than I can explain."

"…Do you love her?"

Percy stared at his father. The inevitable question that his father kept asking. Percy thought hard about it.

He would give up his life—his career, his home, his social life—just to be with her. He wanted to marry her so he could wake up every morning and see her, whether she be in a good mood or a bad mood. He wanted to hold her and kiss her everyday. The thought of her being with someone else and not with him made him want to kick a puppy and punch a hole in the wall. He got an ache in his chest whenever he hurt her. He longed to see her when he was away from her for too long. He noticed the little things about her—how she bit her lip when she was trying to work on something difficult. Or how her eyes sparkled when she started talking about something she loved. He enjoyed being with her because she made him feel alive and she kept him on his toes. He liked the way they would have little banters and still be okay with each other.

If all of that didn't scream love, Percy wasn't sure what would.

"Yes," he replied confidently to his father. "I love her."

* * *

**He finally realizes he loves her! Yay! Now only the final chapter and the epilogue. **

**Oh yeah and the reason why Rachel's not in this? She got blown to bits with rocket launchers (and various other types of guns), pushed off cliffs, yelled at, beaten to a pulp...**

**All by YOU, the readers.**

**:D**

**So yes, now she undergoing intensive care and major plastic surgery so she can make one last appearance in the next chapter.**

**HA! Review please! Let's get to 600!**

**-Akatsuki Child**


	20. Because I Love You

**WAH! SOB! CRY! THIS IS THE LAST CHAPTER! I included the epilogue at the end, so this is the last chapter for this story :'( I appreciate everyone who read and reviewed this story. It was amazing to hear everything you guys had to say about this story. **

**One last time, I want to thank Clara Fonteyn and Stolen Silent Stars for beta-ing this story. They were very supportive and amazing.**

**ENJOY!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own PJO!**

* * *

**Because I Love You**

Percy's confession had made Poseidon grin like there was no tomorrow. Percy himself had felt lighter, like a weight had been lifted off his chest.

"I really love her," Percy repeated, feeling his stomach flutter slightly.

Poseidon just grinned more if that was even possible. "Then what are you still doing here?"

Percy just smiled. "Thanks," he said, rushing around his desk and past his father out the door.

Percy rushed to the elevator and clicked the down button more times than was necessary.

"Come on, come on, come on…" he mumbled. Finally, after five minutes, the doors opened and he stepped inside, hitting the floor level button. He paced in the small room as he waited for the agonizingly long ride to end. It seemed to last forever.

The doors opened and he sprinted out, only to run into a worker carrying lots of folders.

"Shit!" Percy cursed. He fell over the guy, sending both of them to the ground and causing the papers to scatter everywhere. Percy scrambled up onto his feet, limping slightly.

"Sorry Alfred!" he called back. "I have to go!" And then he pushed the building doors open and started sprinting down the street. Meanwhile, Alfred looked at the big mess that used to be his neatly organized papers.

Percy hadn't run like this in a few years. He was getting really tired already, and he still had a good three blocks left. Realizing he wouldn't make it if he continued on foot, he stopped to see if he could catch a cab. He saw quite a few other people milling around on the curb, also trying to get a taxi. He immediately ditched the idea and scoured the streets, looking for another option.

Stopped on the curb was a garbage truck, two guys emptying trash cans into the back where the mini-wasteland was.

Percy was then struck with an idea—an odd, crazy, smelly idea that just might work.

Percy walked up the street, and as soon as the garbage guys went back in the truck, Percy sprinted towards the back of the truck where there was a small lift so he could ride on the back. He hopped on and latched onto the small handle. Then, the truck started moving down the street towards his destination.

"Yes!" Percy exclaimed. The truck kept moving closer and closer, and soon he could see the Swanson Architectural building. "Yes, yes, yes!"

But then, right at the last second, the truck started turning onto another street, away from S.A.

"Wait—no, no!" Percy exclaimed. He let go of the handlebar and collapsed on the side of the street, flat on his face.

"Ow…" he groaned. He stood up and rubbed his cheek where it had gotten scraped slightly. He shook his head and started running towards the building, which was only a block away now.

He felt a new burst of energy when he turned around the street corner and saw the glass doors. He pumped his legs harder, willed his whole aching body to move farther. He finally came to the glass doors and he burst through them…

…only to run into the person he needed to see: Annabeth herself.

"Oof!" he grunted, slamming into her small body and flopping on top of her.

"Ow!" Annabeth exclaimed. "What the hell?"

"Sorry, sorry!" Percy exclaimed, getting off of her and pulling her to her feet. She scowled and flattened out her skirt. When she looked up and saw it was Percy who had run into her, she stopped and blinked, all her hurt feelings crashing back down on her.

"P-Percy?" she stuttered. Despite her feelings, she couldn't help but feel good at seeing him again. And, well, he looked like crap. "Why are you here? And why are you all…sweaty?"

"I came here to tell you…that I'm sorry," Percy said, staring into her stormy gray eyes. "I'm not saying that I kissed Rachel, because I didn't. She kissed me. But I am sorry that I hurt you so much. I don't like fighting with you because I hate when I can't talk to you or see you."

Annabeth swallowed hard and crossed her arms, tears gathering at the corners of her eyes. "Do you really believe I can just forgive you like that?" she replied. "How can I trust you, Percy? I really like you, Percy. A lot. But why would you want to stay in this…_scam_ marriage when you could actually be with someone you _want _to be with?"

Percy took a deep breath and stepped closer to her. He lifted his hand to her face and wiped away the single tear that had dripped down her cheek.

"Because…because I love you."

Annabeth shook her head. "You're lying."

Percy just sighed. "You're so stubborn." Then he took her face in his hands and gave her a hard kiss on the lips.

And Annabeth couldn't help but kiss him back, a smile on her face. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer.

When they pulled apart, she said, "I love you too. More than you could imagine."

He grinned, but then it reduced down to a small smile. Suddenly, he grabbed her hands and knelt down on his knee.

Annabeth smiled, a few happy tears coming to her eyes.

"Annabeth Chase, these past few months have been…interesting, to say the least. We've been through so much—all thanks to my dad—but oddly enough, I wouldn't trade any of it for anything else. I got to fall in love with you, which was the best part, and so I ask…will you marry me? For real?"

Annabeth laughed and tackled him in a hug. "Yes!" she exclaimed. He grinned and held her tight.

There was clapping and cheering all around, and the two looked up to finally notice the workers who had gathered around to watch their exchange.

Annabeth turned her sights back on Percy, the man she loved more than ever. He was her everything now. She buried her face in his neck, taking in the sweet, pine-like scent that was Percy. She felt his arms around her waist and his lips on her cheek.

"I love you so much," she mumbled.

Percy sighed happily. "I love you, too."

Just then, Poseidon barged into the building. He was grinning. "Oh happy days!"

Percy rolled his eyes. A few minutes later, Mike came down from the elevator. When he saw Percy and Annabeth wrapped with each other, he grinned and then bounded (yes, _bounded_) into the lobby and congratulated the two.

Then Poseidon turned to Mike. "See? Our plan didn't go to waste."

As they proceeded to fist pump each other, Percy and Annabeth, who weren't quite out of earshot, slowly turned around and stared at the two. Annabeth's eyes narrowed dangerously. "'Plan'?" she asked accusingly.

Poseidon froze and looked over at Annabeth. He swallowed nervously. "I'm sorry, dear?"

"What plan?" Annabeth glared, towering over the two business men, hands on her hips.

Poseidon laughed nervously as Mike's life flashed before his eyes. "It's n-not really that big of a d-deal…"

"So then tell us what this 'plan' is…" Percy demanded, crossing his arms.

Poseidon then proceeded to stutter their 'brilliant' plan to his son. "W-well, I mean, it was all Annabeth's dad's fault really—"

"My _dad_ was involved with this too?" Annabeth interrupted incredulously.

"Y-yeah…I mean, he's a buddy of ours, and we all met up in Europe over a poker game and we got to talking about you kids and the company and one thing led to another and then—" by this time he was talking fast an stumbling over his words. "—_poof_,we had a plan and that was to have you two kids marry and, uh, hopefully fall in love. Of course, we never thought it would actually work, but we were hoping. And now that it has, well, you can imagine our joy and now the companies are stronger than ever and—"

"I can't believe it," Percy mumbled. "You set all this up?"

"Well now, you make us sound like villains. You're happy right?"

"Yes, but you _lied_ to us! Tell me: were the companies ever in trouble?"

Poseidon swallowed and glanced nervously at Mike. "Uh…no, actually. We just needed a convincing story to have you guys marry."

"And what, pray tell, were you going to do if we ended up hating each other's guts even more? Would you still have us get married under all these false pretentions?"

"Of course not. We would have told you then."

Annabeth couldn't believe this at all. "I can't understand your guys' logic. I have been _tortured_ these past few months dealing with this Seaweed Brain—"

"Hey!"

"—and yes, I do love him, but I had been arrested, forced to live with him, embarrassed beyond belief, and I had to lie to people I cared about! All because you guys and my _dad_ couldn't help but gossip like old biddies and try to mess up our lives!"

Poseidon and Mike swallowed. "So…we should run?"

"Precisely."

They chuckled nervously and took a few steps back until they hit the glass doors. They then proceeded to exit and hightail it down the street, making their way back to the company Overseas Inc. where this whole thing had started about three months ago.

Annabeth glared at their retreating forms and huffed. Everyone in the workplace looked on at them in stunned silence for a few minutes before returning back to their work.

Percy walked up to his steaming fiancée (for real, this time) and wrapped his arms around her. He sighed. "My dad never changes."

Annabeth smirked at turned around in his arms. She leaned up and gave him a kiss. When she pulled back, she said, "We kind of owe it to them, though. Without them, we wouldn't have met and we wouldn't be here right now."

"I guess you're right." He grinned down at her. "So, now what do we do now that all the excitement is over?"

"Well…" She ran her hands up his chest and locked them around his neck. She leaned up and gave him a kiss then pulled away so they were barely touching. "We plan the wedding. And of course you'll have to meet your new in-laws…"

She laughed at Percy's grimacing expression. "Greaaaat," he moaned. "I can't wait."

"You'll be fine. My dad and brother's will love you."

"Don't you think that would be awkward seeing as we're all guys…?"

She slapped his arm. "You know what I mean."

He smiled. "I know. I just love teasing you." He stared into her eyes, her gray, stormy eyes he could never get enough of. "I love you," he mumbled.

She grinned. "I love you too."

* * *

**~-Epilogue-~**

_A few weeks later… _

"Oh…my…GOD! Annabeth, that's _beautiful!_"

Annabeth grinned as she held out her left hand to show her best friend Thalia the diamond ring she was now sporting. A few days after finding out the truth and confessing their love for each other, Percy and Annabeth finally had the chance to live "normally." Poseidon and Mike eventually called off their body guards when they realized Annabeth wasn't going to stab them with pencils anytime soon for what they did.

A few days after that, Percy and Annabeth stopped by the jewelry store and bought a nice diamond ring for about two and half thousand dollars. It wasn't much for Percy, considering he was a CEO. Annabeth had had a bit of fit about it, but then she gave in and fell in love with the ring. It was a .75 carat diamond set on a silver and gold band with some smaller diamonds surrounding it. It was actually a pretty reasonable price for it.

"Thanks, Thalia," Annabeth pulled her hand back and stared at the ring.

"I still can't believe you guys were set up." Thalia shook her head. "I knew Mike and Poseidon were up to something."

"I'm just happy that things worked out."

"I am too. You guys are good for each other. I can tell you're happy with him."

"That's what it's all about, right? Happiness."

"Yeah, it is." She smiled. "In the end, that's all that matters. If I wasn't happy with Luke, I wouldn't be marrying him in a few weeks, even though he is ruggedly handsome and charming."

"I am, aren't I?"

Thalia and Annabeth turned to find Luke walking up to their booth in the café. Annabeth rolled her eyes as he grinned at them and then gave Thalia a kiss. Annabeth couldn't help but smile. In a way, she had always envied them for their compassion and love that they shared. But now, she wasn't jealous. She had Percy, and he was anything and everything she could ask for.

"Well, I need to get home to my fiancé," Annabeth announced. "I'll see you guys later."

She smiled at them and then slid out of the booth and got a taxi to take her home.

"I'm home!" she called out to the apartment. In a few seconds, she was whisked up by familiar arms. She squeaked and wrapped her arms around Percy's neck as he carried her bridal style to the couch.

"Jeez, Percy," she sighed. "Don't scare me like that."

"I'm sorry," he said, sitting down with her in his lap. He gave her a big kiss on the lips and wrapped his arms around her waist. "I'm glad you're home," he said after pulling back for air.

Annabeth grinned. "I'm glad to be home."

And right then, they both realized how glad they were that they had agreed to the fake engagement.

Because, in the end, it was all worth it.

* * *

**Sigh. It was worth it. All great things must come to an end...**

**...so something even greater can happen! In this instance-the sequel! Of course, it probably won't be out til next spring...I'll post a note when it actually does come out.**

**Anyways, thanks to everyone for reading and reviewing this story. I had so much fun reading reviews. Everyone was amazing and I hope that you will all give one, last, final review for this story! Thanks for reading!**

**-Akatsuki Child**


	21. Credit Card Debt

**So this is just a little "deleted scene." I had originally planned to put it in the story, but then I decided not to. Instead, it became an extra. I started it a few months ago and I decided to finish it. Think of it was my way of placating you until the sequel comes out (whenever that may be...) Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own PJO, Forever 21, Victoria's Secret, or Charlotte Russe!**

* * *

**Credit Card Debt**

Annabeth was home by herself, like it _should_ be. Percy was out at work for the day with Poseidon and Mike. Lucky her, she got the day off to do whatever she pleased. It was pretty much demanded that she get more free days after agreeing to this marriage (and of course she used no means of blackmail on Mike and Poseidon…).

However, she couldn't deny the fact that she was bored. She didn't want to admit that having Percy in her life made her days a little more exciting. When she woke up in the mornings, she found herself looking forward to what might happen, despite that she couldn't stand him. She was kept on her toes when she was around Percy. She even dared to think that she was getting used to him and, well…maybe even liking him.

Nevertheless, it was nice to relax and get away from him. After all, she hated Percy, and anytime away from him was cherished.

She was currently lounging on her soft, comfortable bed. She rolled over and spotted Percy's leather, beat-up wallet sitting on the wooden bedside table. She wasn't exactly sure what it was doing in _her_ room (need she remind him of her threats if he left stuff in her room again?), but she was too loopy and tired to really think anything of it. Instead, she just got up, stretched her sore limbs, and headed into the bathroom to shower and get ready for the day.

After an hour, she entered her room again wrapped in her favorite fuzzy green towel. Subconsciously, her eyes drifted to the wallet sitting innocently on the table. She bit her lip, staring at it while struck in her spot in the middle of the room. She knew it was wrong to riffle through others' belongings…

But this was Percy, so it wasn't that big of a deal.

Her mind set, she quickly changed into a pair of skinny jeans and a white, v-neck t-shirt. She fluffed her hair up with the towel, dried it quickly, and applied her light make-up before stepping back into the room. She stood over the wallet, staring at it. This was her last chance to back out. She could ultimately avoid a disaster…

Who was she kidding? She loved revenge.

She snatched up the wallet and flipped it open, the smell of leather assaulting her senses. She stared at the contents.

Four credit cards, a drivers' license (which he no doubt _never_ used), a few coupons, a picture of his mom (ha!), and some cash hidden in a secret pocket.

Annabeth's eyebrows shot up. Four credit cards…Hmm…

She could definitely have some fun with those.

But would she really max out his cards? The mature, smart side of her brain told her that yes, that would be cruel, and possibly a felony if he were to report her. But on the other side…she could get a whole new, cute wardrobe.

Besides, he was the CEO of Overseas Inc. He was rich.

Smirking deviously, she picked the cards from the wallet and slipped them into the back pocket of her jeans. She placed the wallet back down on the table where it was originally found. The small grin still lingering on her face, she grabbed her shoes and headed for the mall.

* * *

Percy had a horrible feeling in his stomach (and it _wasn't_ because he ate something spicy). No, this was like his "spider senses tingling" kind of bad feeling. It had to do with Annabeth, too. It was a bad idea to let her have some days off. He felt weary, knowing she was at the apartment with all his stuff free for her to rummage through.

He had tried explaining his fears to his dad and Mike, trying to persuade them to call her in or at least cut her free days off, but they just shook their heads.

"No," Poseidon had countered, his voice shaking slightly. "She deserves it. I mean, i-it's not like she blackmailed us with some _ahem_ photos from a certain vacation or anything…hehe."

Percy had merely raised a brow at his antics. It was odd, even for Poseidon. Nevertheless, there was nothing he could do, so he simply had to accept his fate and hope that nothing was stolen and/or tampered with.

But that was hoping for too much.

So, with a heavy mind and an upset stomach, he sat in his office, staring at the unfinished work while trying to push out all the horrible (and totally unrealistic) things that Annabeth could be doing.

* * *

She felt like a bitch. But damn it felt good to have so many bags hanging from her arms.

Annabeth walked through the humongous mall with a slight, dreamy smile on her face. There were numerous bags hanging from her hands, ranging from Forever 21 to Victoria's Secret. She had already maxed one credit card, and she knew she had to be close to maxing the second one.

Did she feel bad? Yeah, she did, but it was mostly for revenge against Percy being such a dumbass. She hated his arrogant smirks, the way he practically strutted around. God, she wanted to punch him. Sometimes, she even had fantasies of strangling him to death.

So, in the whole retrospect, she didn't feel all too bad.

Her next stop before lunch was the one she had been looking forward to the most: Charlotte Russe, where she would be stocking up on her shoe supply.

There were three things that Annabeth absolutely loved and adored in life: books, chocolate, and _shoes_.

She loved wearing heels mostly. She felt empowered whenever she slipped her feet into the straps of leather and standing up to see that she had grown a few inches. It was amazing. It was like she said to Percy when they first met: guys had games, girls had shoes.

So with an awed expression, she stepped into the diva store, staring around at all the adorable work/fashionable casual wear. But in the back was where her heaven awaited.

She strode through the store until she finally arrived. Before her, upon shelves and stands, were heels. Row after row, from black pumps to bright, diva red stilettos. She walked through the rows, staring at them. They were beautiful.

She tried on about twenty pairs, before buying all of the ones she tried on. They were all just so _cute!_ Annabeth had even thought about the outfits she could wear with each pair. And, if she remembered all the shoes she had at home, she could go a full month without wearing the same shoes twice.

Upon arriving at the checkout counter, the cashier smiled widely at Annabeth, eyes widening slightly.

"Hi!" she greeted perkily. "Did you find everything today?"

Annabeth grinned. "Yes. Yes I did."

* * *

It was lunch time, and Percy, Mike, and Poseidon were going out to lunch at Red Lobster to celebrate a contract they had gotten signed by one of the leading companies in Europe.

The food was delicious, and Percy made a mental note to come back. However, when they were getting ready to pay, agreeing to split the hearty bill, Percy discovered that his wallet, which usually lay in his back pocket, was gone.

He started panicking. He had four credit cards and an unhealthy amount of cash in that wallet. Did he lose it? He couldn't have, because he remembered taking it out the night before…

…Before he showered, he placed it on Annabeth's bedside table because they had been fighting in her room…he hadn't even thought about placing it there…

_Shit._

"What's wrong, Percy?" Poseidon asked at seeing his son's terrified face.

"I left my wallet…at Annabeth's apartment…" he whispered with horror.

"Well that's okay! I'll pay for you and you can just pay me back."

But Percy wasn't listening. All he could think was that his wallet was in the mercy of Annabeth, whether she knew it or not.

He didn't like that.

"I'm going to run home and get it," Percy said hastily before exiting. Mike looked to Poseidon, but Poseidon merely shrugged.

Percy hailed a cab as quickly as he could. He practically shouted the address to the driver, who glared back at him and drove off. Percy stared outside the window, his leg bouncing up and down uncontrollably. When they arrived, he leapt out and sprinted inside the building and up the steps to the apartment. He practically kicked the door down, and in his haste to get to the bedroom, he knocked down a stool and the book Annabeth was currently reading.

He stopped near the bed, staring at the _wallet-less_ table. Breathing hard, he rushed around the room, looking through drawers and even under some clothes on the ground. It wasn't there. He ran out to the living room, thinking that maybe she threw it on his "bed," but alas, it wasn't on the couch. He checked the counter, the table, and even the bathroom, but it was nowhere to be found.

That only left one other option.

* * *

Annabeth was sitting in the food court. With her purchase of the shoes and lunch, she had maxed out Percy's second card. She was eating delicious Chinese: beef and broccoli, chicken lo mein, white rice, and an eggroll.

She felt victorious. She felt on top of the world. She had gotten revenge on Percy. Now he would know how annoying _he_ was. And, he wouldn't be able to use two credit cards until he paid them off.

Suddenly, her phone vibrated in her pocket. She felt a smirk creep on her face as she saw the caller I.D.

"Hello, Darling," she answered suavely, smugness infused in her voice.

"You…" he replied. "You…are insufferable!"

"I have no idea what you're talking about, sweetie." She smiled around a bite of chicken as she listened to him rant.

"You know perfectly well," Percy replied icily, narrowing his eyes. "You stole my wallet, and…where are you, anyways?"

She chuckled. "At the mall. You should be getting a call or a letter in the mail soon."

_Oh God..._ "Why?"

"Two credit cards have been maxed out."

Silence.

"ANNABETH! How could you?"

"It was simple: I went to the store, found some cute clothes, and bought them with your money!"

Percy felt his jaw clenched. "You're beyond evil. And I'm not paying for those either."

Annabeth smirked to herself. "Yes you will," she demanded.

Percy rolled his eyes. "Make me."

"Okay. I'll just post the pictures from your high school Spring Bash at work for everyone to see."

Percy froze. He had been drunk that night. He'd seen the pictures. They were not pretty. They were _very_ embarrassing. But… "How did you get those photos?" he asked angrily.

"Poseidon."

_Of course,_ Percy thought coldly, his right eye twitching (which was becoming the normal, sadly enough). He had to remember to kick his father once he got back.

"So if that's all, I'll see you at home, sweetie," Annabeth said in a sickly sweet voice.

Percy fumbled for a good comeback to express his frustrations. "Yeah…well…_you're a mean person!"_

And with that sad attempt at a retort, Percy hung up on Annabeth. He wanted to throw his phone across the room, but he merely clenched it in his hand. He wanted to pull some sort of cruel prank on her, like squirting ketchup in her bed, or replacing her shampoo with food coloring. But he couldn't. First off, he wouldn't sink down to _her_ level, and second, if he did…those photos would be publicized. He couldn't afford that to happen.

So, with a fiery anger in his stomach and a twitch in his eye, he stomped out the apartment, slamming the door shut, and headed back to Overseas Inc.

* * *

Annabeth shook her head at Percy's sad attempt at a comeback. This was another good reason for being a strategist/extremely smart. She could plan these flawless pranks. Although, that may have been thanks to the Stoll brothers…

She shuddered at the thought of having similar abilities to the brothers. She gathered up her bags and decided to hit a couple more stores before returning home. She would go to some sport stores to get some more clothes for working out. She didn't keep her slim form by magic (though she desperately wished that was possible).

* * *

"Ouch!"

Poseidon rubbed his shin while glaring at his son. Percy, upon arriving back, had abruptly walked up to him and kicked him square on the shin for no apparent reason. This upset Poseidon (it would upset _anyone_) and he thought he had raised his son better than to go around randomly kicking people.

"What the hell is your problem?" Poseidon grumbled, watching his son pace around in his office.

"You!" Percy shouted, glaring daggers at his father. "You gave Annabeth blackmail to use on me!"

Poseidon cleared his throat and blushed a bit. Ah, so that's why he was kicked. "Yes, well…_she blackmailed me first!_" he rushed out with a yell, standing up abruptly.

Percy blinked and stared at his father's outburst. Poseidon's eye was twitching and his face was pale, his eyes wide.

"Uh Dad…what're you talking about?"

"She blackmailed me with pictures from…never mind…anyways, if I didn't give them to her, she was going to…_show off_ certain photos."

Percy narrowed his eyes at this new piece of information. It was too…planned, too coincidental. Annabeth was an architect. It was her job to think things through.

But she had just found his wallet this morning…

Now he was a bit confused.

Percy's shoulders slumped. Why fight her on this one? She was—correction: she _already_ won this battle. Why fight fire with fire?

"When did you give her the photos?" Percy asked a bit more calmly.

Poseidon let out a whoosh of breath and sat back down. "About two weeks ago. She never told me why…I guess I never asked…" Suddenly Poseidon sat up, his eyes staring at the desk. "But…how did she get _my_ photos?"

In an instant, they knew. They locked eyes and the same time said, "Mike."

* * *

Mike was sitting in his office, a small smile on his face. In reality, the contract signing was all his doing. Without his innovations on the building that the European company wanted, they wouldn't have agreed to work with Overseas Inc. Without him, they wouldn't be making an extra million dollars each year.

He rarely ever got these victories anymore, what with Annabeth being so brilliant. He had forgotten how good they felt.

Suddenly, the door burst open and Percy and Poseidon stalked inside, crowding over his desk.

Mike raised a brow. "Yeah?"

"_You_ gave her the pictures, didn't you?"

Mike blinked. "What?"

Percy sighed impatiently. "Annabeth. You gave her the embarrassing pictures of my dad." It was a statement.

A light bulb appeared to go off in Mike's head. He held his chin up. "So what if I did?"

"_Why?"_ Poseidon cried. "I thought we were friends!"

Mike's nose scrunched up. "Yeah, well if we're such friends, then why did you switch my decaf coffee to caffeinated, with an extra shot of espresso?"

Now Poseidon looked confused. "What're you talking about? I didn't change it. I haven't changed coffee since I had an assistant, and that was twenty years ago!"

Mike's brows furrowed. "Then who—"

Percy coughed, his face blushing. "Um," he started guiltily. "That was my fault. I was doing it to get Annabeth all jittery. It was supposed to be a prank."

Mike blinked. He looked at Poseidon. "Whoops."

* * *

Annabeth finally arrived home. She immediately dropped her bags in her room and plopped down on her soft bed. Her arms flopped beside her, aching and sore from carrying so much weight.

She slipped her hand in her back pocket and pulled out the credit cards. She had managed to max out three out of the four. That had to have been some sort of record. She placed them on the desk next to her bed. She took a deep breath, smiling to herself.

Boy did she love shopping.

* * *

**Teehee :D So I was going to go a little farther with this, but I decided this was a good place to stop. Basically, Annabeth had gotten the photos to use whenever she needed them, and this so happened to be the perfect time to blackmail both Poseidon and Percy. Just a little funny bantering between Annabeth and Percy. **

**I loved Artificial Engagement so much. It was and always will be my favorite story that I've written. **

**On an unrelated note, I had the best day at Walmart (that in itself is a paradox). I went to get my friend a birthday present, and I ended up getting that plus Lady Gaga's new CD (which I'm now listening to) and a poster of Ryan Reynolds (drool... XD). I hung it up in the hallway :D**

**Thanks for reading!**

**-Akatsuki Child**


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